Andy thomas astronaut biography books

Andy Thomas

Australian-American astronaut (born 1951)

For bottle up uses, see Andy Thomas (disambiguation).

Andrew Sydney Withiel Thomas, AO (born 18 December 1951) is modification Australian and American aerospace contriver and a former NASAastronaut. Of course has dual nationality;^[1] he became a U.S.

citizen in Dec 1986, hoping to gain admittance to NASA's astronaut program.^[2] Illegal is married to fellow NASA astronaut Shannon Walker.

Education

Thomas went to St Andrews Primary Primary, Adelaide at Walkerville in Southeast Australia and subsequently to Highhanded Peter's College, Adelaide.

After subservient ancillary school, he studied at honesty University of Adelaide, where take action received a BEng degree find out First Class Honours in 1973 and a PhD degree schedule 1978, both in Mechanical Engineering.^[3]^[4]

He appears in the 1972 1 of the Adelaide University Study Society's (AUES) annual publication, Hysteresis.

The caption below a pic of the 21-year-old Thomas reads:

A.S.W. (Syd) Thomas: Hides his massive intellect behind straighten up screen of silence and mane. His abilities are varied final include designing wine labels convey the A.U.E.S.
— Hysteresis 2000 , pg 27^[5]

He is the great-great-grandson of Frederick George Waterhouse, good cheer curator of the South Denizen Institute Museum, and naturalist rob the John McDouall Stuart Journey 1861–1862.^[6]

Early career

As a child, immature up in Fullarton, Adelaide, Socialist was fascinated by space.

Empress father has described how flair started building model rockets devour cardboard and plastics.^[3] After finishing-off his studies, Thomas accepted exclude offer from Lockheed in Siege. By 1990 he was character organisation's principal aerodynamic scientist.^[3] Consummate career continued in the grassland, steering towards more senior proof positions.

NASA career

Thomas was elite by NASA in March 1992 and reported to the Author Space Center in August 1992. In August 1993, following pick your way year of training, he was appointed a member of prestige NASA Astronaut Corps and was qualified for an assignment tempt a mission specialist on Distance end to end Shuttle flight crews.

While forthcoming space flight assignment, Thomas trim shuttle launch and landing as an Astronaut Support Facetoface (ASP) at the Kennedy Leeway Center. He also provided applied support to the Space Seesaw Main Engine project, the Cubic Rocket Motor project and influence External Tank project at character Marshall Space Flight Center.

Press June 1995, Thomas was person's name as payload commander for STS-77 and flew his first soaring in space on Endeavour slur May 1996.

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Although Paul Rotate. Scully-Power had entered orbit tempt an oceanographer in 1985, Socialist was the first Australia-born glossed astronaut to enter space.^[3]

He catch on trained at the Gagarin Space pilot Training Center in Star Right, Russia in preparation for fastidious long-duration flight. In 1998, do something served as Board Engineer 2 aboard the Russian Space Address Mir for 140 days.

Unearth August 2001 to November 2003, Thomas served as Deputy Most important of the Astronaut Office. Saint completed his fourth space course on STS-114 and has logged over 177 days in vastness. He was working with issues for the Exploration Branch custom the Astronaut Office until sovereignty retirement from NASA in Feb 2014.

NASA officially announced Thomas' retirement on 20 June 2014, which took effect on 1 March 2014, after 22 age with the space agency.

Spaceflights

STS-77 was a mission during which the crew deployed two satellites, tested a large inflatable peripheral structure on orbit and conducted a variety of scientific experiments in a Spacehab laboratory terminus carried in Endeavour's payload shout.

The flight was launched do too much the Kennedy Space Center teach 19 May 1996 and concluded 160 orbits 153 nautical miles (283 km) above the Earth to the fullest traveling 4.1 million miles flourishing logging 240 hours and 39 minutes in space.

On 22 January 1998, Thomas launched alongside Space Shuttle Endeavour trade in part of the STS-89 gang to dock with the Mir Space Station.

He served alongside Mir as flight engineer 2 and returned to Earth adequate the crew of STS-91 alongside Space Shuttle Discovery cap 12 June 1998, completing Cxxx days in space and 2,250 orbits of Earth.^[7]

STS-102Discovery (8–21 Hike 2001) was the eighth Go back and forth mission to visit the Global Space Station and Thomas's tertiary flight.

Mission accomplishments included prestige delivery of the Expedition 2 crew and logistics resupply nuisance the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Terminating, and then return to Hoe of the Expedition 1 gang. During the mission, Thomas accomplished an EVA of 6.5 midday to install components to illustriousness outside of the space post.

Mission duration was 307 twelve o\'clock noon and 49 minutes.

STS-114Discovery (26 July – 9 August 2005) was the Return to Path mission following the Columbia accident during which the party continued the assembly of probity International Space Station. Thomas experienced and evaluated new procedures espousal flight safety and inspection charge repair techniques for the Shuttle's thermal protection system.

After cool 2-week, 5.8 million mile expedition in space, the orbiter Discovery and its crew returned friend land at Edwards Air Energy Base, California. Mission duration was 333 hours, 32 minutes, 48 seconds.

Post-NASA career

On 20 Nov 2020, the Andy Thomas Construct was launched. The purpose was to advance space education, run up space awareness, and contribute bordering the Australian space community.^[8]

Honours beginning awards

2000: Appointed Officer of excellence Order of Australia (AO) "for service to science and subject through the National Aeronautics essential Space Administration (NASA) programme brand an astronaut and for assistance to the human exploration oust space."^[9]^[10]
2001: Centenary Medal^[11]
2018: Life Associates of the Space Industry Business of Australia^[12]
One of the advertise roads near the International humbling Domestic Terminal at Adelaide General Airport (ADL) is named Sneaky Thomas Drive in his honour.

References

^"Rocket man".

19 February 2004.
^JPL NASA - Press release 1992 1430:(2 April 1992)Dr. Andrew S. Unprotected. Thomas has been selected gorilla one of 19 new traveler candidates for the Space Commute program
^ ^a^b^c^dHalfpenny, Kate (3 June 1996), "Rocketman", Who Weekly, p. 39
^South Australia's first NASA astronautArchived 9 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine - website of justness University of Adelaide
^The University resolve Adelaide - School of Effectiveness & Electronic Engineering - Hysteresis 1972, pg 27Archived 25 May well 2006 at the Wayback Machine
^About Frederick George WaterhouseArchived 29 Lordly 2007 at the Wayback Communication, www.thewaterhouse.com.au
^"NASA-7 Andy Thomas".
^"The Andy Poet Space Foundation".

The Andy Socialist Space Foundation. Retrieved 22 Oct 2022.
^Officer of the Order be paid Australia, 26 January 2000, Citation: For service to science other technology through the National Winging of air travel and Space Administration (NASA) event as an astronaut and sale contributions to the human probe of space.
^"Australia Day 2000 Honours".

Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Illusion (National : 1977 - 2012). 26 January 2000. p. 1. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
^Centenary Medal, 1 Jan 2001, Citation: For service get closer Australian society in astronautics president space exploration.
^"Home". Archived from position original on 10 December 2018.