THOMAS D. JONES (PH.D.)

NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born January 22, 1955, in Baltimore, Maryland. Enjoys baseball, 

hiking, biking, camping, skiing, and recreational flying. An avid reader and author, his 

favorite subjects are space aviation and American military history. 

EDUCATION: Graduated from Kenwood Senior High School, Essex, Maryland, in 1973; 

received a bachelor of science degree in basic sciences from the United States Air Force 

(USAF) Academy in Colorado Springs in 1977, and a doctorate in planetary science from 

the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1988.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the American Astronomical Society (Division for 

Planetary Sciences), the American Geophysical Union, and the Association of Space 

Explorers.

SPECIAL HONORS: NASA Space Flight Medal (2001, 1996, 1994). NASA Exceptional Service Award (2000, 1997). NASA 

Outstanding Leadership Medal (1995). Komarov Diploma, Federation Aéronautique Internationale (1997, 1995). Phi Beta Kappa, 

University of Arizona (1988). NASA Graduate Student Research Fellow (1987). Air Force Commendation Medal (1983). 

Distinguished Graduate and Outstanding Graduate in Basic Sciences, USAF Academy (1977). National Merit Scholar (1973). 

Eagle Scout (1969).

EXPERIENCE: A Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Academy, Dr. Jones served on active duty as an Air Force officer for 

6 years. After pilot training in Oklahoma, he flew strategic bombers at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. As pilot and aircraft 

commander of a B-52D Stratofortress, he led a combat crew of six, accumulating over 2,000 hours of jet experience before resigning 

as a captain in 1983.

From 1983 to 1988 he worked toward a Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His research interests included the remote 

sensing of asteroids, meteorite spectroscopy, and applications of space resources. From 1989 to 1990, he was a program 

management engineer in Washington, D.C., at the CIA's Office of Development and Engineering. In 1990 he joined Science 

Applications International Corporation in Washington, D.C. as a senior scientist. Dr. Jones performed advanced program planning 

for NASA's Solar System Exploration Division, investigating future robotic missions to Mars, asteroids, and the outer solar system. 

After a year of training following his selection by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Jones became an astronaut in July 1991. In 1994 he 

flew as a mission specialist on successive flights of space shuttle Endeavour. First, in April 1994, he ran science operations on the 

"night shift" during STS-59, the first flight of the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-1). Then, in October 1994, he was the payload 

commander on the SRL-2 mission, STS-68. Dr. Jones next flew in late 1996 on Columbia. Mission STS-80 successfully deployed 

and retrieved 2 science satellites, ORFEUS/SPAS and the Wake Shield Facility. While helping set a Shuttle endurance record of 

nearly 18 days in orbit, Dr. Jones used Columbia's robot arm to release the Wake Shield satellite and later grapple it from orbit. His 

latest space flight was aboard Atlantis on STS-98, in February 2001. Dr. Jones and his crew delivered the U.S. Destiny Laboratory 

Module to the Space Station, and he helped install the Lab in a series of 3 space walks lasting over 19 hours. The successful 

addition of Destiny gave the first Expedition Crew the largest space outpost in history and marked the start of onboard scientific 

research at the ISS. A veteran of four space flights, Dr. Jones has logged over 52 days (1,272 hours) in space, including 3 space 

walks totaling over 19 hours.

APRIL 2001

This is the only version available from NASA. Updates must be sought direct from the above named individual.

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Biographical Data

 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

 Houston, Texas 77058