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{{short description|Australian-American astronaut (born 1951)}}
{{Other uses|Andy Thomas (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2011}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name = Andy Thomas
|image = Astronaut Andy Thomas.jpg
|birth_name = Andrew Sydney Withiel Thomas
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1951|12|18}}
|birth_place = [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia]], [[Australia]]
|death_date =
|death_place =
|spouse = [[Shannon Walker]]
|nationality = [[Australian Americans|Australian American]]
|education = [[University of Adelaide]] ([[Bachelor of Engineering|BEng]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
|type = [[NASA astronaut]]
|time = 177d 9h 14m
|selection = [[NASA Astronaut Group 14|NASA Group 14 (1992)]]
|missions = [[STS-77]]<br>[[STS-89]]/[[STS-91|91]] ([[Mir EO-24]]/EO-25)<br>[[STS-102]]<br>[[STS-114]]
|insignia = [[File:Sts-77-patch.png|50px]] [[File:Sts-89-patch.svg|45px]] [[File:Soyuz TM-26 patch.png|45px]] [[File:Mir EO-25 patch.png|60px]] [[File:Sts-91-patch.png|50px]] [[File:STS-102 Patch.svg|45px]] [[File:Sts-114-patch.png|60px]]
}}
'''Andrew Sydney Withiel Thomas''', [[Officer of the Order of Australia|AO]] (born 18 December 1951) is an Australian and American [[aerospace engineer]] and a former [[NASA]] [[astronaut]]. He has dual nationality;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/rocket-man-20040219-gdxc4f.html|title = Rocket man|date = 19 February 2004}}</ref> he became a U.S. citizen in December 1986, hoping to gain entry to NASA's astronaut program.<ref>[http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/92/release_1992_1430.html JPL NASA - Press release 1992 1430:(2 April 1992)Dr. Andrew S. W. Thomas has been selected as one of 19 new astronaut candidates for the Space Shuttle program]</ref> He is married to fellow NASA astronaut [[Shannon Walker]].

==Education==
Thomas went to St Andrews Primary School, Adelaide at Walkerville in South Australia and subsequently to [[St Peter's College, Adelaide]]. After secondary school, he studied at the [[University of Adelaide]], where he received a [[Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering|BEng]] degree with [[First Class Honours]] in 1973 and a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] degree in 1978, both in Mechanical Engineering.<ref name="who">{{Citation | last = Halfpenny | first = Kate | title = Rocketman | newspaper = [[Who (magazine)|Who Weekly]] | pages = 39 | date = 1996-06-03 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.adelaide.edu.au/seek-light/stories/andy-thomas.html South Australia's first NASA astronaut] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709211830/http://www.adelaide.edu.au/seek-light/stories/andy-thomas.html |date=9 July 2017 }} - website of the University of Adelaide</ref>

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:
{{quotation
| 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.
| Hysteresis 2000
, pg 27<ref>[http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/info/mags/1972.pdf The University of Adelaide - School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering - Hysteresis 1972, pg 27] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525020457/http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/info/mags/1972.pdf |date=25 May 2006 }}</ref>}}

He is the great-great-grandson of [[Frederick George Waterhouse]], first curator of the [[South Australian Museum|South Australian Institute Museum]], and naturalist of the John McDouall [[Stuart Expedition 1861–1862]].<ref>[http://www.thewaterhouse.com.au/page/default.asp?site=1&page=about About Frederick George Waterhouse] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829104808/http://thewaterhouse.com.au/page/default.asp?site=1&page=about |date=29 August 2007 }}, www.thewaterhouse.com.au</ref>

==Early career==
As a child, growing up in [[Fullarton, South Australia|Fullarton]], [[Adelaide]], Thomas was fascinated by space. His father has described how he started building [[model rocket]]s from cardboard and plastics.<ref name="who" /> After completing his studies, Thomas accepted an offer from [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]. By 1990 he was the organisation's principal aerodynamic scientist.<ref name="who" /> His career continued in the field, steering towards more senior research positions.

==NASA career==
Thomas was selected by NASA in March 1992 and reported to the [[Johnson Space Center]] in August 1992. In August 1993, following one year of training, he was appointed a member of the [[NASA Astronaut Corps]] and was qualified for an assignment as a mission specialist on [[Space Shuttle]] flight crews.

While awaiting space flight assignment, Thomas supported shuttle launch and landing operations as an Astronaut Support Person (ASP) at the [[Kennedy Space Center]]. He also provided technical support to the Space Shuttle Main Engine project, the Solid Rocket Motor project and the External Tank project at the [[Marshall Space Flight Center]]. In June 1995, Thomas was named as payload commander for STS-77 and flew his first flight in space on [[Space Shuttle Endeavour|''Endeavour'']] in May 1996. Although [[Paul D. Scully-Power]] had entered orbit as an oceanographer in 1985, Thomas was the first Australia-born professional astronaut to enter space.<ref name="who" />

He next trained at the [[Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center]] in [[Star City, Russia]], in preparation for a long-duration flight. In 1998, he served as Board Engineer 2 aboard the Russian Space Station Mir for 140 days. From August 2001 to November 2003, Thomas served as Deputy [[Chief of the Astronaut Office]]. Thomas completed his fourth space flight on STS-114 and has logged over 177 days in space. He worked on issues for the Exploration Branch of the Astronaut Office until his retirement from NASA in February 2014.

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

===Spaceflights===
[[STS-77]] ''Endeavour'' (19 –29 May 1996) was a mission during which the crew deployed two satellites, tested a large inflatable space structure in orbit and conducted a variety of scientific experiments in a Spacehab laboratory module carried in ''Endeavour's'' payload bay. The flight was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 19 May 1996 and completed 160 orbits {{convert|153|nmi|km}} above the Earth while traveling 4.1 million miles and logging 240 hours and 39 minutes in space.

On 22 January 1998, Thomas again launched aboard Space Shuttle [[Space Shuttle Endeavour|'' Endeavour'']] as part of the [[STS-89]] crew to dock with the [[Mir Space Station]]. He served aboard ''Mir'' as flight engineer 2 and returned to Earth with the crew of [[STS-91]] aboard Space Shuttle [[Space Shuttle Discovery|'' Discovery'']] on 12 June 1998, completing 130 days in space and 2,250 orbits of Earth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4225/nasa7/nasa7.htm|title=NASA-7 Andy Thomas}}</ref>

[[STS-102]] ''Discovery'' (8–21 March 2001) was the eighth Shuttle mission to visit the [[International Space Station]] and Thomas's third flight. Mission accomplishments included the delivery of the Expedition 2 crew and logistics resupply with the [[Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module]], and then the return to Earth of the Expedition 1 crew. During the mission, Thomas performed an EVA of 6.5 hours to install components to the outside of the space station. The mission duration was 307 hours and 49 minutes.

[[STS-114]] ''Discovery'' (26 July – 9 August 2005) was the Return to Flight mission following the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|'' Columbia'' accident]] during which the crew continued the assembly of the International Space Station. Thomas tested and evaluated new procedures for flight safety and inspection and repair techniques for the Shuttle's thermal protection system. After a 2-week, 5.8 million mile journey in space, the orbiter ''Discovery'' and its crew returned to land at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], [[California]]. The mission duration was 333 hours, 32 minutes, 48 seconds.

== Post-NASA career ==
On 20 November 2020, the [[Andy Thomas Foundation]] was launched. The purpose was to advance space education, raise awareness, and contribute to the Australian space community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Andy Thomas Space Foundation |url=https://andythomas.foundation/ |access-date=2022-10-22 |website=The Andy Thomas Space Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Honours and awards==
* [[2000 Australia Day Honours|2000]]: Appointed [[Officer of the Order of Australia]] (AO) "for service to science and technology through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programme as an astronaut and for contributions to the human exploration of space."<ref name=AO>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1129656 Officer of the Order of Australia], 26 January 2000, Citation: ''For service to science and technology through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programme as an astronaut and for contributions to the human exploration of space.''</ref><ref name="AD2000Gazette">{{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article240618799|title=Australia Day 2000 Honours|date=2000-01-26|work=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Special (National : 1977 - 2012)|access-date=2022-08-29|pages=1}}</ref>
* 2001: [[Centenary Medal]]<ref name=CM>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1127330 Centenary Medal], 1 January 2001, Citation: ''For service to Australian society in astronautics and space exploration.''</ref>
* 2018: Life Membership of the Space Industry Association of Australia<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spaceindustry.com.au/index.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210005917/http://www.spaceindustry.com.au/index.php|archive-date=10 December 2018|title=Home}}</ref>
* One of the main roads near the International and Domestic Terminal at Adelaide International Airport (ADL) is named Andy Thomas Drive in his honour.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Colin Burgess (author)|Colin Burgess]]. ''Australia's Astronauts: Three Men and a Spaceflight Dream'', Kangaroo Press, 1999.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/thomas_andrew.pdf NASA Astronaut Bio: Andrew S. W. Thomas (Ph.D.)(March 2014)]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Science/Astronaut-blasts-lack-of-research-into-space/2005/03/19/1111086067283.html?oneclick=true Astronaut blasts lack of research into space] (The Sun-Herald, 20 May 2004): Comments from Thomas about state of Australian space science
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091231075034/http://www.riaus.org.au/science/people/space_time_astronomy/andy_thomas.jsp Ri Aus - people in Science]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110329135323/http://nma.gov.au/exhibitions/australian_journeys/gallery_highlights/slideshow_6_6.html#slideTop National Museum of Australia: A fragment of wooden propeller from the ''Southern Cross'', flown by Charles Kingsford Smith in the 1920s and 30s, which was taken into space by Andy Thomas in 2001 to honour Kingsford Smith's aviation achievements.]

{{NASA Astronaut Group 14}}

{{Shuttle-Mir}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Andy}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian astronauts]]
[[Category:Australian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:People from Adelaide]]
[[Category:University of Adelaide alumni]]
[[Category:People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide]]
[[Category:NASA civilian astronauts]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Lockheed people]]
[[Category:Crew members of the International Space Station]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:Spacewalkers]]
[[Category:Mir crew members]]

Andy Thomas - Revision history

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