10 minute read
Seeking the Heights Out of This World
BY KARLEE BROWN MOORE (RHO, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON)
What inspires someone to want to rocket into space exploring realms never achieved by anyone before? For one Alpha Chi Omega sister, an elementary school field trip inspired a dream that set a course for her life and is launching her out of this world!
Raised in Houston, Texas, Anna Wilhem Menon (Iota Lambda, Texas Christian University) had exposure to NASA starting at a young age. In fourth grade, Anna’s teacher, Alison Smith Balch, daughter of Space Shuttle Challenger pilot Michael J. Smith, took the students on a field trip to NASA that provided an insider’s look into what it was like to work as both an astronaut and in mission control. This experience opened Anna to space in general and “lit a fire in me to contribute to this industry with my career,” she says.
Fast forward to 2023, after working in the space field for more than a decade, Anna is preparing for her first mission into space as part of the Polaris Dawn crew.
CONNECTIONS AND ASPIRATIONS
Texas Christian University (TCU) is where Anna was introduced to Alpha Chi Omega. In 2005, Alpha Chi Omega in turn initiated her into its sisterhood and lifelong friendships. For someone who describes herself as “connection-oriented,” Alpha Chi Omega fed Anna’s desire for deeper connection with others, the community and the universe. “It was a life changing place for me, and it made some wonderful impacts on my life,” Anna says.
It was in the supportive environment of this sisterhood where Anna experienced growth as a leader. It was also where she learned how to work with people from a variety of backgrounds and form a team that together created a stronger foundation, accomplished more and moved the organization further forward than could have been done individually. “I have absolutely applied the teamwork lessons I learned at Alpha Chi Omega as I’ve gone on to work at NASA, SpaceX and now on this mission called Polaris Dawn,” Anna says. These principles remain with her in everything she does, from work to community to home.
Participation in philanthropic work is another treasured Alpha Chi memory. “I cherish the philanthropy work we did [in Alpha Chi Omega] and the lessons it taught me and the impact we could make through it,” Anna says. Giving back has remained important for her throughout her career as she has volunteered around the world
applying her engineering background. “One of my great drivers is to do meaningful work in this world. It doesn’t have to have a certain title and it can look a lot of different ways … it continues to drive my every action,” Anna says. Her commitment to service and meaningful work makes the Polaris Dawn mission’s partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® a special element; the mission is raising awareness and funds for the hospital to help it meet its goal to improve the global survival rates for childhood cancer.
After graduating from TCU with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and Spanish, Anna continued her education at Duke University, where she received a master’s degree in biomedical engineering. A purpose-driven individual, Anna says her love of space remained strong throughout her schooling, and she sought out internships that fulfilled her yearning to work in the field combined with her strengths in math and engineering.
“One of the beautiful things about space is that it is a diverse field and takes so many different roles,” Anna says. “There are lots of ways to contribute.” An internship with NASA boosted Anna into her first job after obtaining her master’s degree, and she remained with NASA for seven years as a biomedical flight controller in the International Space Station.
When she moved on to work for SpaceX, she once again landed in mission control and works as a senior space operations engineer. “I am supporting SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft mission control as a mission director and also developing crew operations and procedures that our astronauts perform in orbit,” Anna explains. And now in addition to her regular day job, she is also preparing for her own journey into space.
THE POLARIS DAWN MISSION
SpaceX is gearing up for an exciting mission called Polaris Dawn, set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida no sooner than 2024. This mission, which
will serve as both a mission specialist and medical officer, drawing upon her background as an engineer at SpaceX and her biomedical studies. She also received first-hand ER training to fully equip her for this role – although she says she is hoping not to have to apply this training during the mission!
This crew brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the table, having been part of previous missions in a variety of ways. In fact, Anna knew all of the crew members even before she was selected for Polaris Dawn. She and Sarah worked together at SpaceX from the start, and she met Jared and Scott during their Inspiration4 mission.
The crew selection process for the mission was demanding. Anna and her crewmates had to endure many physical and psychological tests to make sure they could handle the challenges of space travel. Their training included advanced spaceflight techniques, emergency procedures and high-altitude operations. They learned everything about the spacecraft, practiced specific skills needed for the mission, and trained for experiments and the spacewalk.
will last up to five days, is the inaugural chapter of the Polaris Program, which encompasses three spaceflights. Its overarching aim is to push the boundaries of our knowledge about space and tackle the challenges of living and working in it. Notably, this first mission aims to reach a higher Earth orbit than any previous Dragon mission.
“It is a full team effort to meet all of the mission’s objectives,” Anna says.
Anna won’t be alone on the spacecraft; she’ll have a team of skilled crewmembers with her. Each member of the crew has a diverse, unique background, and all members were selected for their expertise in various scientific and technical fields to fulfill specific roles. The leader of the mission is Jared Isaacman, who’s not only a pilot but also an experienced astronaut. There’s also Scott Poteet, a former U.S. Air Force colonel and previous director of the Inspiration4 mission, the first with all civilian crewmembers. The crew rounds out with Sarah Gillis, a senior space operations engineer who previously ran SpaceX’s astronaut training program.
While the Polaris Dawn crew of four has been training for this mission for more than a year, Anna has been preparing for this journey throughout her career. She
And it wasn’t just about physical training; mental preparation was just as important. “We went through training to help prepare our minds for this mission – being in a spacecraft [and] living with three other crew members in this environment. We wanted to learn skills that helped us get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Anna says. One way they did this was by learning to skydive together. They had to memorize every step taught in the U.S. Air Force Academy skydiving program so they could use them quickly under pressure. The training culminated in five solo skydives to reinforce what they learned.
The crew has also gone through a series of trainings centered on soft skills to enhance their focus and execution. While Anna knew all members of the crew prior to joining the team, they have been strengthening their teamwork, focus and execution through joint simulation scenarios. The importance of teamwork is not new to Anna; it is one of the many skills she learned throughout her collegiate experience thanks in large part to her membership and participation in Alpha Chi Omega. “Alpha Chi is such an outstanding example of teamwork,” she says. “It has people who join from all walks of life and work together to move the organization forward.”
WHAT WILL ANNA AND THE POLARIS DAWN CREW DO ON THE MISSION?
• Conduct 40 scientific studies to shed light on human health in space and on Earth
• Complete the first commercial spacewalk using SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, a step toward developing spacesuits for extended space missions and living and working in space
• Test Starlink’s laser-based communication technology, which will be essential for future missions to the moon, Mars and beyond
ON THE HOME FRONT
Anna is not the only member of her household preparing to venture into outer space. Her husband, Anil, is currently an astronaut candidate. “Space runs in the family’s blood,” Anna says. Anna and Anil have two children, James and Grace, and family life keeps them both grounded. Together, she and her husband work hard to increase their children’s awareness of the world around them by exposing them to new sights and experiences. That is why “memorizing the moments” is one of the many things that excites Anna about being part of the mission crew.
Anna is motivated by being able to gain further perspective and gather lessons that she can share with her family and colleagues, and that can help contribute to future endeavors in human spaceflight. “We cannot control everything in life, but one of the things we can control is our attention to our skills and leaning into those interests in a way that helps serve,” Anna says. She
Other personal goals include “supporting my teammates in whatever ways are needed, executing our mission objectives, safety, putting our training into practice and learning as much as possible for our collective spaceflight endeavors,” Anna says. One of the aspects of the mission that excites her is to see Earth from the vantage point of space and gain an expanded perspective on the world and universe.
With the limited time the crew will have in space to achieve the mission objectives, Anna knows the importance of being attentive and making every minute count while she is up there. For example, performing the spacewalk requires a full team effort to cover the technical work to ensure all participants remain safe and achieve the desired results. Conducting the many planned experiments necessitates engagement from the entire team as well. The crew members have been instrumental in determining the research project list. They worked with SpaceX engineers to develop the plans for conducting research, deciding how they will work cross-functionally to complete the tasks within the confined space and time, and training on the protocols in preparation for the mission.
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
While orbiting in space may not be every sister’s dream, Anna’s story brings to life the way Alpha Chi Omega continues launching women to new and exciting places. Anna’s journey reflects how she has used the Real. Strong. Women. Experience throughout her professional career.
The Polaris Dawn mission pushes the boundaries of space exploration, just as Alpha Chi Omega equips members to develop their gifts and talents and explore new horizons. It is through this network of sisterhood support coupled with opportunities to venture out of our comfort zone and become comfortable with being uncomfortable that Alpha Chi Omega continues encouraging members to truly seek the heights – heights that may even launch them out of this world.
