>> MY NAME'S ANIL MENON,
AND I AM THE SPACEX
MEDICAL DIRECTOR,
AND I WILL BE ONE OF THE 2021
NASA ASTRONAUT CANDIDATES.
I'M FROM MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.
IT'S A WONDERFUL PLACE TO
GROW UP BECAUSE IT'S JUST--
THERE'S SO MUCH NATURE AROUND.
AND I LOVED GROWING UP THERE.
WE USED TO SPEND SUMMERS
IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS
UP NORTH IN MINNEAPOLIS,
AND YOU'RE JUST
SURROUNDED BY NATURE.
THERE'S NO MACHINES.
AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT INSPIRED ME TO GO
INTO MEDICINE
AND WILDERNESS MEDICINE,
AND JUST CONTINUE TO EXPLORE
MY ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE THERE WAS
SO MUCH BEAUTY TO EXPLORE.
BEFORE I WAS SELECTED
AS A NASA ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE,
I WAS THE SPACEX
MEDICAL DIRECTOR,
SO I WAS DESIGNING HOW WE
APPROACHED THE HUMAN SYSTEM
FROM A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE
WHEN WE WERE FLYING
PEOPLE TO SPACE.
THE NASA ASTRONAUT IS SOMEONE
WHO'S INTERESTED IN EXPLORING
THE-THE WORLD OUT THERE BEYOND,
UH, THE REACHES OF WHAT
WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING
AND JUST KEEP PUSHING
THE BOUNDARIES.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMEONE
WHO DOES IT FOR ALL OF US.
SO BEFORE I HAD THIS CHANCE
TO BE AN ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE
FOR NASA, I LOOKED
TO THESE ASTRONAUTS TO SEE
WHERE THEY COULD PUSH THINGS.
AND IT WAS AN INSPIRATION TO ME.
SO AS AN ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE,
THAT'S HOW I LOOK AT IT.
IT'S JUST A CHANCE TO, UH--
CHANCE TO EXPLORE AND JUST
KEEP PUSHING WHERE WE CAN GO
AND WHAT'S POSSIBLE
AND WHAT PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF.
I DECIDED I WANTED TO BE
A NASA ASTRONAUT VERY EARLY.
I WAS SIX YEARS OLD
WHEN I KNEW THAT IT WAS A JOB
THAT YOU COULD DO,
AND I REMEMBER THINKING
HOW COOL IT WAS.
AND THEN I REMEMBER
SEEING A MOVIE CALLED
"THE DREAM IS ALIVE".
IT WAS AN IMAX MOVIE.
AND I SAW THIS ASTRONAUT
IN SPACE, AND I THOUGHT
NOW THERE IS A JOB
FULL OF ADVENTURE,
DOING EXCITING THINGS.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW
HOW YOU GO ABOUT DOING IT,
BUT IT JUST INSPIRED ME
TO GO INTO SCIENCE
AND GET INTERESTED IN SPACE
AND TO LEARN WHAT-WHAT
I COULD POTENTIALLY DO.
SO THAT'S HOW I GOT,
UH, FIRST INSPIRED.
I-I WANTED TO BE
A NASA ASTRONAUT,
UM, BECAUSE THERE WAS
A GOOD COMBINATION OF
WHAT I WAS JUST BASE LINE
INTERESTED IN, WHAT I THOUGHT
I WOULD BE GOOD AT,
AND WHAT I FELT WOULD MAKE
A CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY
AND THE COMMUNITY AROUND ME.
THERE'S THIS JAPANESE CONCEPT
CALLED IKIGAI, AND IT'S THAT
YOU SHOULD PICK A PROFESSION
THAT YOU'RE GOOD AT,
THAT INSPIRES YOU,
AND-AND THAT YOU FEEL LIKE COULD
BE A CONTRIBUTION TO THINGS.
AND MEDICINE FOR ME,
DID DO THAT, UH, BUT I ALWAYS
WANTED TO GO AND-AND DO
SOMETHING WITH SPACE.
AND SO I WAS ALWAYS TRYING
TO COMBINE THEM BOTH.
AND BEING A NASA ASTRONAUT
WAS A GREAT INTERSECTION
OF THOSE DIFFERENT,
UH, INTERESTS AND DESIRES.
AH, THE-- SO I'VE BEEN
THROUGH THE SELECTION PROCESS
A FEW TIMES, UM,
AND, UH, SO IT'S-IT'S-IT'S
EXCITING AND FUN.
UM, AND IT'S ALSO, UH,
A BIT NERVE WRACKING,
BECAUSE IT'S-IT'S A CHANCE
TO PURSUE YOUR DREAM
AND TRYING TO DO YOUR BEST,
AND I WAS TRYING TO DO MY BEST.
UH, SO THAT WAS
THE CHALLENGE THEREIN,
BUT THIS TIME AROUND
IT WAS REALLY FUN.
I'M STILL FRIENDS WITH
EVERYBODY THAT I MET
ON MY SELECTION ROUNDS BEFORE.
UM, AND IT'S A REAL TESTAMENT,
UM, THAT TRYING AND TRYING AGAIN
AND NEVER GIVING UP, UH,
IS-IS THE WAY TO GO
BECAUSE I-I NEVER THOUGHT THAT
I WOULD HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UM, BUT I KEPT AFTER IT,
AND I KEPT TRYING TO IMPROVE
MYSELF, AND HERE I AM.
SO, UH, IT'S-IT'S REALLY
COOL TO BE HERE.
UH, WHEN I WAS SELECTED TO BE
AN ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE
I WAS, UH, WITH A GROUP
OF FRIENDS FROM SPACEX,
THEY WERE MISSION DIRECTORS.
AND I WAS, UM-- MY WIFE WAS
THERE AS WELL AND MY TWO KIDS.
AND I REMEMBER, IT WAS
EARLY IN THE MORNING.
IT WAS 9:00 AM.
AND I GOT A CALL FROM
A 281 NUMBER,
AND I LOOKED AT IT,
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS
GONNA BE A SPAM CALL.
AND SO, I THOUGHT,
SHOULD I ANSWER THIS?
BUT I KNEW THEY'D BE
CALLING PEOPLE SOON,
SO I THOUGHT, OKAY, LET ME
GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THIS.
AND WHEN I HEARD SOMEONE
FROM NASA ON THE OTHER END,
UH, IT WAS THE CHIEF OF
THE ASTRONAUT OFFICE,
I GOT EXCITED.
AND I THOUGHT, MAYBE THIS IS IT.
BUT THE FIRST THING HE DID
WAS ASK ME A QUESTION
ABOUT SPACEX'S DRAGON CAPSULE
THAT I WAS WORKING ON,
SO I QUICKLY KINDA
LET MY HOPES DOWN.
I THOUGHT THIS IS JUST GONNA BE
A WORK RELATED QUESTION.
AND I STARTED TO ANSWER
THE MEDICAL QUESTION.
AND THEN HE, UH, CHANGED GEARS
AND SURPRISED ME AND TOLD ME,
UH, I'M JUST KIDDING WITH YOU.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE
A NASA ASTRONAUT,
AND I WAS JUST SO HAPPY.
AND MY-- THAT MOMENT,
MY WIFE WALKS INTO THE ROOM,
AND SHE SEES THE EXPRESSION
ON MY FACE AND SHE PUTS IT
ALL TOGETHER RIGHT AWAY
AND SHE JUST BURST INTO TEARS,
'CAUSE, UH, SHE KNEW
WHAT A DREAM IT WAS OF MINE
TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND SO THAT'S-THAT'S
THE MOMENT I FOUND OUT.
I'M INSPIRED BY THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE AROUND ME.
UH, I HAVE THE FORTUNE
OF BEING ABLE TO WORK IN SPACE,
WORK AT A COMMERCIAL SPACE
COMPANY, HAVE WORKED AT NASA.
AND IT REALLY ATTRACTS TO IT,
JUST PEOPLE INTERESTED IN SPACE,
INTERESTED IN P-PUSHING
THE BOUNDARIES,
INTERESTED IN DOING MORE
THAN THEY'RE CAPABLE OF.
SO I'M REALLY INSPIRED
BY THE PEOPLE THAT I WORK WITH,
AND I-AND I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.
AND I FEEL LIKE I CAN LEARN
SOMETHING FROM EVERYBODY
WHO'S AROUND ME.
UM, SO I GET TO WORK WITH
ALL THESE INCREDIBLE ENGINEERS.
UM, AND I GET TO LEARN
HOW THEY THINK ABOUT CONCEPTS.
AND THAT AFFECTS THE WAY
I THINK ABOUT THINGS.
AND I TAKE THAT, AND WHEN I WORK
IN THE ERs, UH, AT THE HOSPITAL,
UM, I USE THAT KIND OF
THINKING AND INSPIRATION,
AND, UH, IT JUST DRIVES ME
TO BE BETTER AT WHAT I'M DOING
WHATEVER IT IS.
SOMEONE WHO REALLY INSPIRED ME
WAS, UH, P-PROFESSOR OF
WILDERNESS MEDICINE
AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY,
AND HIS NAME WAS PAUL AUERBACH.
AND, UM, HE JUST HAD
SUCH A PASSION FOR
WILDERNESS MEDICINE.
WHEN HE STARTED DOING IT,
IT WAS A TINY FIELD DECADES AGO,
AND HE CREATED IT
INTO SOMETHING THAT NOW
WE HAVE DOCTORS CARING FOR FOLKS
IN ALL DIFFERENT AREAS
FROM THE JUNGLES OF GUATEMALA
TO MOUNT EVEREST,
AND JUST SHARING THAT KNOWLEDGE.
AND-AND I HAD THE FORTUNE
OF BEING ABLE TO WORK
WITH PAUL AUERBACH,
AND HE-HE ENCOURAGED ME
TO PURSUE SPACE
AS A, UM, A FIELD THAT WOULD
CONTINUE TO GROW,
IN SPACE MEDICINE AS A-A FIELD
THAT WOULD CONTINUE TO GROW.
AND, UM, I THINK WHAT HE BROUGHT
WAS JUST A-A PASSION FOR SPACE
THAT WAS REAL PALPABLE,
AND-AND ENCOURAGING OTHERS
TO KIND OF FAN THAT FIRE
WITHIN THEM.
AND-AND SO THAT-THAT REALLY,
UH, PUSHED ME FORWARD.
AND HE OPENED UP SOME REALLY
COOL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ME,
UH, TO WORK ON MOUNT EVEREST
AND TOLD ME THAT I COULD
TRANSLATE SOME OF THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES, UM,
AND THOUGHT PROCESSES
TO WORKING IN SPACE MEDICINE,
WHICH I THINK THE NEXT
COUPLE YEARS AND DECADES
IS GONNA OPEN UP A WHOLE NEW,
UH-- A WHOLE--
A BIGGER FIELD THAN WE--
THAN WE CURRENTLY SEE.
IT'S GONNA BE REALLY EXCITING.
I'M-I'M REALLY EXCITED.
I-I-I'M EXCITED TO TRAIN,
BECAUSE, UM, ONE, I JUST
LIKE LEARNING, AND IT'S
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN.
SO WHEN YOU'RE IN MEDICINE,
YOU DO MEDICAL SCHOOL
FOR FOUR YEARS,
THEN YOU DO RESIDENCY, UM,
AND THEN YOU KEEP LEARNING
AFTER RESIDENCY WITH FELLOWSHIP.
AND SO YOU SPEND A LOT
OF TIME TRAINING AND YOU LEARN
TO-TO LOVE IT.
UM, AND IT'S JUST
SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY
TO BE ABLE TO LEARN.
AND I'M EXCITED THAT I GET
TO KEEP GROWING AND LEARNING.
UM, AND I LOVE
THAT ASPECT ABOUT IT.
UM, MY LEAST EXTRAORDINARY THING
IS THAT I'M TERRIBLE AT KARAOKE,
BUT I LOVE TO DO IT.
MY WIFE AND I DO A-A DUET
OF LADY GAGA AND BRADLEY COOPER,
UH, FOR THE "SHALLOW" SONG,
AND SHE DEFINITELY CARRIES
THAT ROW FORWARD.
SOMETIMES WHEN I WATCH
THAT VIDEO, I THINK I COULD USE
A LITTLE WORK IN THAT AREA.
[ LAUGHTER ]
H-HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT IS
THE MOST EXCITING RIGHT NOW
THAT I'VE EVER SEEN,
UM, AND WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING
IS JUST NASA WORKING WITH
ALL THESE DIFFERENT COMMERCIAL
PARTNERS TO EX--
PUSH THE BOUNDARIES
TO THE MOON, TO MARS.
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE
THE FUTURE IS LIMITLESS
AND IT'S HAPPENING REALLY FAST.
I HAVEN'T SEEN IT ACCELERATE
LIKE THIS, UH, THAT I EVER
HAVE BEFORE, UH,
IN MY EXPERIENCE WITH SPACE.
AND I-I FEEL LIKE I'VE HAD
THE FORTUNE TO WORK AT
A COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT,
UH, PARTNER, UH, AND THAT'S
BEEN REALLY EXCITING
TO JUST SEE THE ENERGY THAT
IT BRINGS AND THE OPPORTUNITY
THAT IT BRINGS.
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED
ABOUT THAT.
THERE'S-THERE'S TONS
OF OPPORTUNITY FOR DOCTORS NOW
TO GET INTO SPACE MEDICINE,
UH, WHEN THERE WASN'T BEFORE,
SO AT FIRST, THIS JOB
THAT I GOT AT SPACEX WAS
THE ONLY JOB FOR A DOCTOR, UH--
OR ONE OF THE FEW JOBS FOR
A DOCTOR IN COMMERCIAL SPACE.
NOW THERE ARE--
WE'RE JUST LOOKING FOR PEOPLE
AND HIRING PEOPLE,
AND SO WE'RE JUST GETTING
MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE
INTERESTED IN IT,
AND THEY'RE BEING ABLE
TO JUST DEVELOP THE FIELD
AND LEARN A LOT.
SINCE I'M A DOCTOR,
I'M MOST INTERESTED IN
JUST SEEING PHYSICALLY
WHAT THE HUMAN SYSTEM IS LIKE.
IT'S-IT'S ONE THING TO JUST
READ ABOUT IN A BOOK,
AND IT'S ANOTHER THING
TO GO THERE AND OBSERVE
WITH YOUR OWN EYES.
AND I THINK IN MEDICINE,
YOU LEARN BY TAKING
CARE OF PEOPLE.
AND MEDICINE AND SPACE,
YOU LEARN BY GOING UP THERE
AND SEEING HOW
THE HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY CHANGES
AND HOW THE BODIES CHANGE.
OUTSIDE OF WORK, UM,
I LOVE TO FLY.
THAT'S PART OF THE THING
THAT GOT ME INTO SPACE.
UM, SO I LOVE, UH,
PRIVATE, UH, PILOTING,
AND I-I'M AN INSTRUCTOR,
UH, FOR PRIVATE PILOTS.
AND I LOVE DOING
GENERAL AVIATION WHENEVER
I GET THE OPPORTUNITY,
UM, I'LL-I'LL DO THAT.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT I FIND REALLY FUN.
I ALSO LIKE CAMPING A LOT.
AND SO, UH, I'M TRYING TO
ENCOURAGE MY KIDS INTO CAMPING.
AND, UH, WE'VE HAD
A FEW FORAYS INTO THAT,
AND SO FAR SO GOOD,
UH, EVERYONE LIKES TO DO IT.
AND SO IF I-IF I HAVE
A CHANCE TO GET OUT BY MYSELF,
I'LL PUT ON A BACKPACK
AND I'LL GET OUT INTO THE WOODS
AND IT MAYBE TAKES ME BACK TO
MY MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA ROOTS.
ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HEARD
ABOUT BECOMING AN ASTRONAUT
WAS TO REALLY THINK ABOUT
WHY-WHY I WANT
TO-TO DO THE ROLE.
AND I-I TOOK THE TIME
TO, ON A DAILY BASIS,
JOURNAL ABOUT, UM, WHY-WHY IS IT
THAT I WANT TO DO THIS,
AND THINK-THINK ABOUT IT
REALLY DEEPLY.
UM, SO I-I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
TO UNDERSTAND THE WHY BEHIND IT,
BECAUSE, UH, THERE'S THE SAYING
WITH ANY WHY, UH--
WITH A STRONG WHY,
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
AND, UH, AND BY BEING ABLE
TO DO THAT, UH, I THINK
IT'S DRIVEN ME THROUGH
A LOT OF CHALLENGES
ALONG THE SELECTION PROCESS
AND THE INTERVIEW,
AND STICKING WITH IT
TO THIS POINT AFTER HAVING
SOME CHALLENGES AND FAILURES
IN THE PAST.
MY DREAM DESTINATION WOULD BE,
UM, WOULD BE MARS.
I KNOW IT'S A-A STEP BEYOND
WHERE WE'RE THINKING RIGHT NOW,
BUT, UM, I THINK IT'S
REALLY, UH, COOL THAT
WE THINK BEYOND WHAT EVEN
THINKS PO-- IS POSSIBLE.
AND IT-IT SEEMS REALLY
CHALLENGING TO THINK COULD WE
DO SOMETHING THAT FAR AWAY,
UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF
MEDICAL CHALLENGES ON THE WAY.
AND I THINK US WORKING
COLLECTIVELY TOGETHER TO DO
SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS
THE STUFF THAT I WOULD
LOOK BACK AT AND THINK,
WOW, WE HAVE REALLY ACHIEVED
SOMETHING ENORMOUS.
I KNOW WE'RE GONNA TAKE
A FEW STEPS THERE.
WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE MOON,
UM, AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT
LOW EARTH ORBIT, BUT, UH,
IF I HAD A DREAM LOCATION,
IT WOULD BE MARS.
I WOULD SHARE WITH STUDENTS
WHO REALLY UNDERSTAND,
UM, WHY--
THE-THE WHY BEHIND WHAT
THEY'RE STUDYING, UH, AND JUST
KEEP ASKING THAT QUESTION
AND DIGGING DEEPER.
AND BY DOING THAT,
THEY WILL HAVE JUST SUCH
A GOOD FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING
OF THE SUBJECT MATTER THAT,
UH, IT WILL-- THEY'LL BE ABLE
TO USE IT THEN FOR THE EXAM.
BUT IT WILL ALWAYS BE THERE
IN THE FUTURE
WHEN THEY KEEP STUDYING.
AND TO HAVE FUN.
AS A KID, SPACE INSPIRED ME
TO GO INTO STEM.
UM, I JUST THOUGHT THAT
IT WAS SO AMAZING
WHAT PEOPLE WERE DOING
AND BEING ABLE TO WORK IN
SUCH A-A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT
THAT I WANTED TO FIGURE OUT
HOW COULD I GET INTO THAT.
AND SO, AS A KID,
I-I FIGURED OUT THAT STEM
WAS A PATHWAY THAT
SO MANY PEOPLE TOOK TO SPACE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT INSPIRED ME
TO DIG INTO IT
AND-AND TO LEARN IT, AND, UH,
NEVER LOOK BACK SINCE THEN.
I THINK AT SOME TIME--
UH, AT TIMES, SCHOOL, IT-IT
DOESN'T COME EASY TO EVERYBODY.
IT DIDN'T COME EASY TO ME,
AND I'VE SPENT, UM,
MOST OF MY LIFE STUDYING.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN
CHUNKS OF TIME WHERE I THOUGHT
THAT IT WOULD BE REALLY HARD
TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE SEMESTER,
OR I WAS GONNA GET A BAD GRADE
IN A PARTICULAR CLASS.
AND WHAT I JUST KEPT
FOCUSING ON WAS THE END GOAL
AND STICKING WITH IT
THROUGH THOSE DIFFICULT TIMES,
UM, IF I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I WAS
DOING AS WELL AS I-I COULD BE.
AND IN THE END,
WHEN I LOOK BACK AT IT,
IT'S ALL KNOWLEDGE GAINED.
UM, AND IT'S ALL CONTRIBUTED
THROUGH A FOUNDATION
THAT HELPS ME DO THIS JOB HERE.
UH, IT WILL HELP ME
IN-IN MY COMING YEARS.
AND SO, UM, I-I WOULD JUST SAY,
UM, WHEN PEOPLE ARE FEELING
LIKE THEY ARE, UM, NOT DOING
AS WELL AS THEY WOULD LIKE,
JUST KEEP WORKING AT IT,
'CAUSE IT'S NOT ALWAYS
GONNA BE EASY.
BUT, UH, IT WILL BE WORTH IT.