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