Thomas D. Akers
Thomas Dale Akers is an American mathematician, Air Force officer, educator, and retired NASA astronaut. Selected in NASA Astronaut Group 12 in 1987, he became one of the shuttle program's important and mission-specialist astronauts.
- Born
- May 20, 1951
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- St. Louis, Missouri,United States
Flights
4
Spacewalks
4
EVA time
29 hours, 40 minutes
In space
33 days, 22 hours, 44 minutes
Bio
Akers taught mathematics and served in the United States Air Force before joining NASA. His background in technical education and Air Force operations translated into shuttle work across science, satellite rescue, Hubble servicing, and Shuttle-Mir missions.
He flew STS-41, STS-49, STS-61, and STS-79. STS-49 included the dramatic Intelsat VI rescue, while STS-61 was the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, one of the shuttle program's most important repair achievements.
Akers' career reads as a practical shuttle operations record: math teacher, Air Force officer, four-flight astronaut, spacewalker, Hubble repair crew member, and participant in the Shuttle-Mir era.