Andy Thomas
| Andrew "Andy" Thomas, AO | |
|---|---|
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| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | Australian/American |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
18 December 1951 Adelaide, South Australia |
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University of Adelaide(BE(Hons)) University of Adelaide, PhD) |
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Time in space
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177d 9h 14m |
| Selection | 1992 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-77, STS-89, Mir, STS-91, STS-102, STS-114 |
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Mission insignia
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Andrew "Andy" Sydney Withiel Thomas, AO (born 18 December 1951 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian-born American aerospace engineer and a NASA astronaut. He became a U.S. citizen in December 1986, hoping to gain entry to NASA's astronaut program. He is married to fellow NASA astronaut Shannon Walker.
Educated at St Andrews Primary School at Walkerville in South Australia before attending St Peter's College, Adelaide before receiving a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering (with First Class honors) from the University of Adelaide in 1973, he completed a Doctorate (in Mechanical Engineering) at the University of Adelaide in 1978.
He appears in the 1972 edition of the Adelaide University Engineering Society's (AUES) annual publication, Hysteresis. The caption below a photograph of the 21-year-old Thomas reads:
A.S.W. (Syd) Thomas: Hides his massive intellect behind a screen of silence and hair. His abilities are varied and include designing wine labels for the A.U.E.S.
He is the great-great-grandson of Frederick George Waterhouse, first curator of the South Australian Institute Museum, and naturalist of the John McDouall Stuart Expedition 1861-1862.
As a child, Thomas was fascinated by space. His father has described how he started building model rockets from cardboard and plastics. After completing his studies, Thomas accepted an offer from Lockheed in Atlanta. By 1990 he was the organization's principal aerodynamic scientist. His career continued in the field, steering towards more senior research positions.
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