Indian origin Nasa astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts on Tuesday (July 14) lifted off on board a Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from Kazakhstan on an eight-month mission to the International Space Station. This marks Menon's first spaceflight who will be doing a series of experiments to study the physiological toll of long-duration spaceflight.
Anil Menon is an emergency medicine physician and a Colonel in the US Space Force. He was part of the US Air Force and served on the front lines in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Later, he volunteered with the Himalayan Rescue Association, providing care for climbers on Mount Everest.
Born in Minneapolis to Ukrainian and Indian immigrants, Menon studied neurobiology at Harvard University. Following this, he pursued a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a medical degree at Stanford University. He later specialised in emergency medicine and aerospace medicine.
He joined NASA as a flight surgeon in 2014 and worked with astronauts living and working on the International Space Station. In 2018, Menon became part of the company’s medical programme. He worked on the development of the Starship that was instrumental in missions to space. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in December 2021.
Menon’s father, KP Shankaran Menon, is a native of Ottapalam, Palakkad. His great-grandfather, Sir Chetur Shankaran Nair, was a famous lawyer and freedom fighter. His mother, Elizabeth, is an immigrant from Ukraine to America.
While on board the ISS, Menon will conduct a series of experiments to study the physiological toll of long-duration spaceflight and examine how microgravity affects blood flow, vein structure, and blood composition in astronauts. He will also help test technologies for producing intravenous fluids using the station's potable water system. Such capabilities could become critical during deep-space missions where medical supplies are limited.
With inputs from PTI