Thomas David Jones
| Thomas Jones | |
|---|---|
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| Country: | United States |
| Organization: | NASA |
| selected on | Jan 17, 1990 ( 13th NASA Group ) |
| Calls: | 4 space flights |
| Start of the first space flight: |
April 9, 1994 |
| Landing of the last space flight: |
February 20, 2001 |
| Time in space: | 53d 0h 49m |
| EVA inserts: | 3 |
| EVA total duration: | 19h 49m |
| retired on | September 7, 2001 |
| Space flights | |
Thomas David Jones (born January 22, 1955 in Baltimore , Maryland ) is a retired American astronaut .
Life
Thomas Jones received a BA in Basic Sciences from the United States Air Force Academy in 1977 and a PhD in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona in 1988 . Jones was with the US Air Force for six years . After completing his pilot training, he flew the B-52 long-range bomber , among other things , before retiring from the Air Force in 1983. In January 1990, Jones was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate.
Career
STS-59
Jones had his first assignment on April 9, 1994 as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Endeavor . The so-called Space Radar Laboratory Mission (SRL) was carried out. SRL consisted of three large radars and a carbon monoxide sensor, which were used to study the earth's surface and the atmosphere. Real-time observations of surface features and weather conditions along with over 14,000 photographs helped the researchers evaluate the data.
STS-68
For the STS-68 mission , he flew into space on September 30, 1994 on the space shuttle Endeavor. It was the Space Radar Laboratory's second flight. The two main instruments on board were the SIR-C / X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging Radar-C / X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar) and MAPS (Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites). On October 11th, the space shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California .
STS-80
On November 19, 1996, Jones set out on his third flight. Only eight hours after the start of STS-80 , the astronomy platform ORFEUS-SPAS , sponsored by Germany, was suspended. She observed stellar objects for two weeks. Schoolchildren in the Federal Republic of Germany could take part via the Internet. At the beginning of the fourth day of flight, the plate-shaped WSF was deployed. The WSF flew alongside the Columbia for three days . In doing so, it created a particularly pure vacuum in its “slipstream” by removing all molecules of the residual atmosphere out of the way. New semiconductors for electronics were produced on the back of the WSF . Two Jones Space Exits (EVAs) had to be canceled because the airlock could not be opened. The longest shuttle flight to date came to an end after almost 18 days.
STS-98
His last mission was on February 7, 2001, on the Atlantis space shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS). The US space laboratory Destiny was brought to the ISS. Together with astronaut Robert Curbeam , Jones undertook three EVAs to mount the laboratory on the space station and make it operational. In addition, a docking nozzle was moved and supplies for the first long-term crew were brought along.
Private
Thomas Jones is married and has two children.
See also
- List of spacemen
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of manned space flights
- List of manned missions to the International Space Station
Web links
- Short biography of Thomas David Jones at spacefacts.de
- NASA biography of Thomas David Jones (English; PDF)
- Biography of Thomas David Jones in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jones, Thomas David |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronaut |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 22, 1955 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Baltimore , Maryland |