Andrew M. Allen
| Andrew Michael "Andy" Allen | |
|---|---|
 |
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| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
August 4, 1955 Richboro, Pennsylvania |
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Other occupation
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Test Pilot CEO - Global Safety Labs |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel, USMC |
|
Time in space
|
37d 16h12m |
| Selection | 1987 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-46, STS-62, STS-75 |
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Mission insignia
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Andrew Michael "Andy" Allen (born 4 August 1955) is a retired American astronaut. A former Marine aviator and Lieutenant Colonel, he worked as a test pilot before joining NASA in 1987. He flew three Space Shuttle missions before retiring in 1997.
Andrew Michael Allen was born on 4 August 1955 in Richboro, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in 1973, following an education at Richboro Junior High, currently Richboro Middle School, and was interviewed in 2003 for the school's newspaper, The Viking Voice. He then graduated from Villanova University. The crux of the interview is Mr. Allen's history with NASA and the future of the agency in regard to the then-recent Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. That interview can be found online here. In 2004 he received his master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida.
Allen received his commission in the United States Marine Corps at Villanova University in 1977. At Villanova he was initiated into the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Following graduation from flight school, he flew F-4 Phantoms from 1980 to 1983 with squadron VMFA-312 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, and was assigned as Aircraft Maintenance Officer. He was selected by Headquarters Marine Corps for fleet introduction of the F/A-18 Hornet, and was assigned to VMFA-531 in Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, from 1983 to 1986. During his stay in VMFA-531, he was assigned as the squadron Operations Officer, and also attended and graduated from the Marine Weapons & Tactics Instructor Course, and the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). A 1987 graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, he was a test pilot under instruction when advised of his selection to the astronaut program. He logged over 6,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.
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