Thomas Akers
- STS -41 (1990)
- STS -49 (1992 )
- STS -61 (1993)
- STS -79 (1996)
Thomas Dale Akers, called " Tom" ( born May 20, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA ) is a former American astronaut.
Akers grew up in the village of Eminence, which is located 200 kilometers northeast of St. Louis. After high school he studied Applied Mathematics at the University of Missouri. In 1973, he earned a Bachelor's and two years later a master.
Astronauts activity
1990 Akers flew his first space flight on STS -41 as a mission specialist. In 1992, he flew as a mission specialist on his second space flight on STS - 49th In subsequent flights ( STS -61 in 1993 and STS -79 in 1996 ), he held the same function.
Flight STS -41
The launch of STS -41 took place on October 6, 1990 at the Kennedy Space Center. The flight lasted 4 days, 2 hours and 10 minutes. There were performed several smaller experiments, as well as exposed to the Ulysses solar probe. The mission ended on 10 October 1990 with the landing on the Edwards Air Force Base.
Flight STS -49
On 7th May 1992 started the mission STS- 49th The start and the landing site were the same as those of Akers 's first space flight. The aim of this mission was to capture the communications satellite Intelsat VI -F3 for repair. After two unsuccessful outboard activities ( EVAs ) by Pierre Thuot and Richard bat Akers was in the third and successful action here. The astronauts had to capture the satellite by hand, after which he was given a new apogee and was brought to a geostationary orbit. Akers led a second EVA with his colleague Kathryn Thornton out to test structures and tools. On 16 May 1992, the landing took place. Akers and the rest of the crew had been on the road eight days, 21 hours and 17 minutes.
Flight STS -61
On 2 December 1993 started the mission STS -61 from the Kennedy Space Center. The objective of the mission was to capture the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST) and repair. Jeff Hoffman and Story Musgrave, Akers and his colleague Kathryn Thornton took for this purpose in each case an exit into space. The fourth EVA again took Akers and Thornton to replace an inferior photometer through a lens, which should compensate for the enormous mistake of the telescope mirror. The fifth and final EVA again took Hoffman and Musgrave, also with a mandate to carry out an exchange. The solar panels were given a new electronic solar drive, plus some Magnetometer whose cases had been crafted by the colleagues of Akers, Nicollier and Bowersox, from residual material. After the severe repair was performed, the HST could be suspended again. The third mission of Akers ended on 13 December 1993.
Flight STS -79
STS -79 was launched on 16 September 1996 Mir Space Station from Kennedy Space Center, where the mission ended again later. The Space Shuttle Atlantis was docked four days at the space station. In this mission, the Mir crew member Shannon Lucid, John Blaha of which flew back with STS -81 was replaced. After the exchange of supplies and experiments, the mission returned to Earth on 26 September 1996. The flight lasted 10 days, 3 hours and 19 minutes.
He retired from the astronaut squad on 1 August 1997.
Private
Akers is married and has two children.