How do you carve your own path when the well-worn ones don’t fit?
For Anna Harutyunyan, the answer started with walking away. She stepped back from a corporate software career that didn’t excite her, held out for the right role in a competitive analog mission, and embraced the unknown until she became Armenia’s first analog astronaut.
Anna’s journey spans robotics engineering studies in Germany, leading a NASA EL Space engineering team, conducting cognitive performance research on astronauts, and training with international crews in Armenia, Poland, and Switzerland. She is also the founder of Rocket Space Academy, working to expand Armenia’s presence in the space sector, and host of the Mission Analog podcast, amplifying the work of analog astronauts worldwide.
In this episode, Anna shares how persistence, self-reflection, and even imposter syndrome shaped her into the leader and innovator she is today. From living in simulated space habitats to presenting research at global conferences, her story proves that turning down the wrong opportunities can be just as important as chasing the right ones.
If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re on the right track—or wondered what it takes to transform childhood passions into groundbreaking work in space and robotics—Anna’s story will leave you rethinking the power of “no” and the possibilities it can open.
00:00 Introduction: The Power of Saying No
00:27 Meet Anna Harutyunyan: The Armenian Analog Astronaut
01:35 Dancing Khari: Cultural Bonding in Space
02:47 From Programming to Robotics: A Journey of Passion
04:39 Rediscovering Childhood Dreams
09:11 University Life and Mars Exploration
13:11 Leading at NASA: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
17:51 Joining the Armenian Analog Mission
24:15 Analog Missions: Testing and Simulations
24:58 Living in a Simulated Environment
25:56 Joining the Polish Analog Astronaut Training Center
26:39 First Experience as an Analog Astronaut
28:36 Daily Life in the Habitat
30:45 Mental Math Research
32:19 Simulated Axiom Four Mission
35:05 Challenges and Team Cohesion
40:42 Starting the Mission Analog Podcast
41:51 Rocket Space Academy and EOS Mission
44:24 Final Reflections and Advice
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