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Tom Jones (astronaut)

Thomas David Jones
Thomas Jones.jpg
NASA astronaut
Nationality American
Status Retired
Born (1955-01-22) January 22, 1955 (age 62)
Baltimore, Maryland
Other occupation
Pilot; Scientist; Speaker
Rank Captain, USAF
Time in space
53d 00h 49m
Selection 1990 NASA Group
Missions STS-59, STS-68, STS-80, STS-98
Mission insignia
Sts-59-patch.pngSts-68-patch.pngSts-80-patch.pngSts-98-patch.png

Thomas David Jones (born January 22, 1955) is a former United States astronaut. He was selected to the astronaut corps in 1990 and completed four space shuttle flights before retiring in 2001. He flew on STS-59 and STS-68 in 1994, STS-80 in 1996 and STS-98 in 2001. His total mission time was 53 days 48 minutes. He works as a planetary scientist, space operations consultant, astronaut speaker, and author.

Jones was born January 22, 1955, in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Kenwood High School, Essex, Maryland, in 1973; received a Bachelor of Science degree in Basic Sciences from the United States Air Force Academy in 1977, and a Doctorate in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona in 1988. Jones is a Distinguished Eagle Scout.

A Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Academy, Jones served on active duty as an Air Force officer for 6 years. After pilot training in Oklahoma, he flew strategic bombers at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. As pilot and aircraft commander of a B-52 D Stratofortress, he led a combat crew of six, accumulating over 2,000 hours of jet experience before resigning as a captain in 1983.

From 1983 to 1988 Jones worked toward a Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His research interests included the remote sensing of asteroids, meteorite spectroscopy, and applications of space resources. From 1989 to 1990, he was a program management engineer in Washington, D.C., at the CIA's Office of Development and Engineering. In 1990 he joined Science Applications International Corporation in Washington, D.C. as a senior scientist. Jones performed advanced program planning for NASA's Solar System Exploration Division, investigating future robotic missions to Mars, asteroids, and the outer solar system.


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