St. Paul Academy Grad Becomes NASA Astronaut
Anil Menon, a St. Paul Academy graduate, has recently made headlines as one of NASA’s newest astronauts. The 47-year-old completed two years of rigorous training and graduated during a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed excitement for Menon and his fellow astronauts, emphasizing the important role they will play in expanding humanity’s reach.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Menon earned degrees from both Harvard University and Stanford. Prior to becoming an astronaut, he worked as an emergency medicine physician, a flight surgeon for NASA, and a medical director for SpaceX. Menon is also a certified flight instructor and has always been inspired by space exploration.
Now eligible for flight assignments, Menon could potentially embark on missions to the moon and the International Space Station. His journey to becoming an astronaut was no easy feat, as he was selected from a pool of over 12,000 applicants after previously attempting to enter the astronaut training program.
Back at St. Paul Academy, students showed their support for Menon by creating a video and writing postcards to congratulate him on his achievement. The school community is proud of Menon’s accomplishments and excited to see where his career as a NASA astronaut will take him.
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