NASA’s new class of astronauts illustrates its increasing shift to capitalism
NASA is being conquered by Americans
That two different former SpaceX employees, one of whom had already flown on a private mission in space, applied and were accepted by NASA yesterday — as part of the 24th class of astronauts since its creation three-quarters of a century ago — reveals the major shift that is occurring across the entire space industry, and most especially within NASA.
This new class of ten included four men and six women, the first time women were the majority chosen. More significantly however were the two former SpaceX employees.
Yuri Kubo, 40, is a native of Columbus, Indiana. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University. He spent 12 years working across various teams at SpaceX, including as launch director for Falcon 9 rocket launches, director of avionics for the Starshield program, and director of Ground Segment.
Anna Menon, 39, is from Houston and earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University with a double major in mathematics and Spanish. She also holds a master’s in biomedical engineering from Duke University. Menon previously worked in the Mission Control Center at NASA Johnson, supporting medical hardware and software aboard the International Space Station. In 2024, Menon flew to space as a mission specialist and medical officer aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn. The mission saw a new female altitude record, the first commercial spacewalk, and the completion of approximately 40 research experiments. At the time of her selection, Menon was a senior engineer at SpaceX.
Menon is also married to another NASA astronaut, Anil Menon, making them the fourth married couple picked by NASA.
At first I wondered why either would want to leave the private sector to work at NASA, especially considering that the opportunity to fly in space through NASA is going to decline significantly in future years. Its Artemis program will at best launch once a year, carrying four, and when ISS retires NASA’s flights to the commercial stations will be fewer and farther apart.
Then I realized the financial and personal benefits of getting picked and trained by NASA as an astronaut. It is a wonderful item to put on one’s resume. These astronauts don’t have to stay at NASA forever. As the private commercial stations and other private manned capsules begin flying, those companies are going to need trained individuals to fly their ships and run their stations. Most will look for candidates from NASA’s astronaut corps.
The presence of those two SpaceX employees in this class also shows us the shift from the government to private enterprise. In the past almost all of NASA’s astronaut picks would have come from the military and academia (In fact, the other eight astronauts picked this time all have such backgrounds). Rarely would NASA have chosen anyone from the private sector.
The choice of two such private sector individuals by NASA yesterday is simply another indication of the agency’s shift from the top-down government model to the capitalism model. It is finally recognizing the private sector is (and has always been) the heart of America’s space effort, and it is beginning to reward it appropriately.
Even as that private sector begins to take over NASA itself.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
NASA is being conquered by Americans
That two different former SpaceX employees, one of whom had already flown on a private mission in space, applied and were accepted by NASA yesterday — as part of the 24th class of astronauts since its creation three-quarters of a century ago — reveals the major shift that is occurring across the entire space industry, and most especially within NASA.
This new class of ten included four men and six women, the first time women were the majority chosen. More significantly however were the two former SpaceX employees.
Yuri Kubo, 40, is a native of Columbus, Indiana. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University. He spent 12 years working across various teams at SpaceX, including as launch director for Falcon 9 rocket launches, director of avionics for the Starshield program, and director of Ground Segment.
Anna Menon, 39, is from Houston and earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University with a double major in mathematics and Spanish. She also holds a master’s in biomedical engineering from Duke University. Menon previously worked in the Mission Control Center at NASA Johnson, supporting medical hardware and software aboard the International Space Station. In 2024, Menon flew to space as a mission specialist and medical officer aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn. The mission saw a new female altitude record, the first commercial spacewalk, and the completion of approximately 40 research experiments. At the time of her selection, Menon was a senior engineer at SpaceX.
Menon is also married to another NASA astronaut, Anil Menon, making them the fourth married couple picked by NASA.
At first I wondered why either would want to leave the private sector to work at NASA, especially considering that the opportunity to fly in space through NASA is going to decline significantly in future years. Its Artemis program will at best launch once a year, carrying four, and when ISS retires NASA’s flights to the commercial stations will be fewer and farther apart.
Then I realized the financial and personal benefits of getting picked and trained by NASA as an astronaut. It is a wonderful item to put on one’s resume. These astronauts don’t have to stay at NASA forever. As the private commercial stations and other private manned capsules begin flying, those companies are going to need trained individuals to fly their ships and run their stations. Most will look for candidates from NASA’s astronaut corps.
The presence of those two SpaceX employees in this class also shows us the shift from the government to private enterprise. In the past almost all of NASA’s astronaut picks would have come from the military and academia (In fact, the other eight astronauts picked this time all have such backgrounds). Rarely would NASA have chosen anyone from the private sector.
The choice of two such private sector individuals by NASA yesterday is simply another indication of the agency’s shift from the top-down government model to the capitalism model. It is finally recognizing the private sector is (and has always been) the heart of America’s space effort, and it is beginning to reward it appropriately.
Even as that private sector begins to take over NASA itself.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
A good back channel. They work at all on the Starship side of things?
I wonder if this the first time that the astronaut class has included someone who is already an astronaut? Anna Menon in particular could probably teach some of them and may be amused by NASA’s training.
Jeff Wright,
Both worked on Falcon-related stuff.
Tim,
Yep, first time. Anent Anna Menon and training, her job at SpaceX was to train NASA astronauts on Crew Dragon systems and to do the same for the participants on the various private Crew Dragon missions. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she is assigned by NASA to development of training for the Starship HLS. As with Crew Dragon, she could well also get a chance to fly on it at some point.
The Menons are also parents now!
This is almost certainly a better arrangement in terms of schedule and location to raise their children.
(Also probably not quite as many hours in the NASA astronaut corps as her gig at SpaceX!)