Veteran Astronaut Andy Thomas is available for live interviews via satellite
from 7 to 9 a.m. EST Friday, Feb. 25. Thomas will fly on the first Space Shuttle
mission since the Columbia accident.
Media interested in interviewing Thomas: Contact Karen Svetaka, Johnson Space
Center newsroom at: 281/483-8684 (office) or 713/708-1024 (pager) NLT 5 p.m. EST
Thursday.
Thomas is a mission specialist aboard Shuttle Discovery’s 12-day flight, targeted
for launch in mid-May. The mission (STS-114) is Thomas? fourth on a Shuttle. The
seven-member crew will test new Shuttle safety improvements; deliver supplies and
equipment to the International Space Station. Thomas is the primary operator for
the Shuttle’s robotic arm. It will use a new boom extension to perform an
unprecedented inspection of the orbiter’s heat shield. He will also choreograph
three scheduled spacewalks from inside the Shuttle.
Thomas was born in Adelaide, Australia and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He
received a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Adelaide,
South Australia, in 1978. Thomas began his work with NASA at the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in 1989 and was selected as an astronaut in 1992. For biographical
information, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/thomas-a.html
NASA TV is available on the Web and via satellite in the continental U.S. on AMC-
6, Transponder 9C, C-Band, at 72 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0
MHz. Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz. In Alaska and
Hawaii, NASA TV is available on AMC-7, Transponder 18C, C-Band, at 137 degrees
west longitude. The frequency is 4060.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and audio
is monaural at 6.80 MHz.
NASA TV is available live on the Internet at:
For more information about NASA?s Return to Flight efforts and the STS-114
mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit:
