Andrew M . Allen Andrew Michael " Andy " Allen ( born 4 August 1955 ) is a retired American astronaut . A former Marine aviator and Lieutenant Colonel , he worked as a test pilot before joining NASA in 1987 . He flew three Space Shuttle missions before retiring in 1997 . Biography . Andrew Michael Allen was born on 4 August 1955 in Richboro , Pennsylvania He graduated from Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in 1973 , following an education at Richboro Junior High currently Richboro Middle School , and was interviewed in 2003 for the school ' s newspaper , " The Viking Voice " . He then graduated from Villanova University . The crux of the interview is Mr . Allen ' s history with NASA and the future of the agency in regard to the then - recent Space Shuttle " Columbia " disaster . That interview can be found online here . In 2004 he received his Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida . Military career . Allen received his commission in the United States Marine Corps at Villanova University in 1977 . At Villanova he was initiated into the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity . Following graduation from flight school , he flew F - 4 Phantom s from 1980 to 1983 with squadron VMFA - 312 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort , South Carolina , and was assigned as Aircraft Maintenance Officer . He was selected by Headquarters Marine Corps for fleet introduction of the F / A - 18 Hornet , and was assigned to VMFA - 531 in Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , California , from 1983 to 1986 . During his stay in VMFA - 531 , he was assigned as the squadron Operations Officer , and also attended and graduated from the Marine Weapons & Tactics Instructor Course , and the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School ( Top Gun ) . A 1987 graduate of the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River , Maryland , he was a test pilot under instruction when advised of his selection to the astronaut program . He logged over 6 , 000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft . Awards and decorations . He also received : Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Bucks County Community College ( 1993 ) ; Honorary Doctorate of Engineering Science from Villanova University ( 1997 ) and Honorary Doctorate of Science from Daniel Webster College ( 1998 ) . NASA experience . Selected by NASA in June 1987 , Allen became an astronaut in August 1988 . His technical assignments have included : Astronaut Office representative for all Space Shuttle issues related to landing sites , landing and deceleration hardware , including improvements to nosewheel steering , brakes and tires , and drag chute design ; Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory ( SAIL ) , which oversees , checks , and verifies all Shuttle flight control software and avionics programs ; Technical Assistant to the Flight Crew Operations Director who is responsible for and manages all flight crew operations and support ; lead of the Astronaut Support Personnel team which oversee Shuttle test , checkout , and preparation at the Kennedy Space Center ; Special Assistant to the Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston , Texas ; lead of a Functional Workforce Review at the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , to determine minimal workforce and management structure requirements which allow maximum budget reductions while safely continuing Shuttle Flight Operations ; Director of Space Station Requirements at NASA Headquarters , responsible for the International Space Station requirements , policies , external communications and liaison with Congress , international partners , and industry . A veteran of three space flights , Allen has logged over 900 hours in space . He was the pilot on STS - 46 in 1992 and STS - 62 in 1994 , and was mission commander on STS - 75 in 1996 . Allen retired from the Marine Corps and left NASA in October 1997 . He has since served in various industry leadership positions , including President of the FIRST Foundation ( For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology ) , Associate Program Manager for Ground Operations with United Space Alliance , and is currently a Vice President and Program Manager with Honeywell . Spaceflight experience . STS - 46 was an 8 - day mission aboard Space Shuttle " Atlantis " which featured the deployment of the European Retrievable Carrier ( EURECA ) , an ESA - sponsored free - flying science platform , and demonstrated the Tethered Satellite System ( TSS ) , a joint project between NASA and the Italian Space Agency . STS - 46 launched July 31 , 1992 , and landed at the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on August 8 , 1992 . The flight completed 126 orbits covering 3 . 3 million miles in 191 . 3 hours . STS - 62 was a 14 - day mission aboard Space Shuttle " Columbia " which consisted of 5 crewmembers that conducted a broad range of science and technology experiments with Earth applications to materials processing , biotechnology , advanced technology , and environmental monitoring . Principal payloads of the mission were the United States Microgravity Payload 2 ( USMP - 2 ) and the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology 2 ( OAST - 2 ) package . STS - 62 launched March 4 , 1994 and landed at the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on March 18 , 1994 . The flight completed 224 orbits covering 5 . 8 million miles in 335 . 3 hours . STS - 75 was a 16 - day mission with principal payloads being the reflight of the Tethered Satellite System ( TSS ) and the third flight of the United States Microgravity Payload ( USMP - 3 ) . The TSS successfully demonstrated the ability of tethers to produce electricity . The TSS experiment produced a wealth of new information on the electrodynamics of tethers and plasma physics before the tether broke at 19 . 7 km , just shy of the 20 . 7 km goal . The crew also worked around the clock performing combustion experiments and research related to USMP - 3 microgravity investigations used to improve production of medicines , metal alloys , and semiconductors . STS - 75 launched on February 22 and landed on March 9 , 1996 . The mission was completed in 252 orbits covering 6 . 5 million miles in 377 hours and 40 minutes .