Thomas Akers Thomas Dale Akers ( born May 20 , 1951 in St . Louis , Missouri ) is a former American astronaut in NASA ' s Space Shuttle program . Education . Akers was the valedictorian of his 29 - member 1969 senior class from Eminence , Missouri . He worked summers as a park ranger in the 80 , 000 acre federal wilderness that borders Eminence . He graduated from the University of Missouri - Rolla [ now the Missouri University of Science and Technology ] with B . S . and M . S . degrees in Applied Mathematics in 1973 and 1975 , respectively . At the age of 24 he returned to Eminence to become its high school principal . In 1979 , when a United States Air Force recruiter left brochures on his desk for his students , it was Akers who decided to sign up . He was selected for the astronaut program in 1987 and officially became an astronaut in 1988 . NASA career . Akers is a veteran of four shuttle flights in which he spent over 800 hours in orbit , including more than 29 hours of extra - vehicular activity ( EVA ) experience . In each of his flights , his role was as a mission specialist . His first space flight was in 1990 on STS - 41 , the 11th flight of Space Shuttle " Discovery " . He was instrumental in deploying the European Space Agency satellite Ulysses , a solar - exploration craft , as well as tending several secondary payloads and experiments . His next mission was in 1992 on STS - 49 , the maiden flight of Shuttle " Endeavour " . A primary goal of that mission was to capture and repair the non - functional Intelsat VI - F3 satellite . The first two attempts failed ; Akers joined the third attempt which was successful . This marks the first three - person EVA in human history and was also the longest EVA ( 8 hours , 29 minutes ) ever conducted to that time . As of January , 2004 , it is now the second longest EVA , and is still the only instance of a three - person EVA . On Akers ' third mission in 1993 on STS - 61 , the fifth flight of " Endeavour " , he was one of four mission specialists who repaired and upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope on its first servicing mission . Akers spent just under 13 . 5 hours outside the " Endeavour " in two EVAs . On May 18 , 1994 , Akers appeared on " Home Improvement " as himself along with rest of the STS - 61 crew . His last mission was in 1996 on STS - 79 , the 17th flight of shuttle Atlantis . This was the fourth shuttle flight to rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir and the first to exchange U . S . astronauts with Mir , returning Shannon Lucid to earth and leaving John Blaha . After NASA . Akers retired from NASA in 1997 and the Air Force in 1999 at the rank of Colonel , taking a position as instructor of Mathematics at the University of Missouri – Rolla , which in 2008 changed its name to the Missouri University of Science and Technology . Akers retired from teaching in 2010 . Special Honors . High School Valedictorian . Graduated Summa Cum Laude from University of Missouri - Rolla . Named a Distinguished Graduate of U . S . Air Force Officer Training School , Squadron Officers School , and U . S . Air Force Test Pilot School . Recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf cluster s ; Legion of Merit Award ; Defense Meritorious Service Medal ; Air Force Meritorious Service Medal ; Air Force Commendation Medal ; Air Force Achievement Medal ; NASA Distinguished Service Medal ; two NASA Exceptional Service Medal s ; four NASA Space Flight Medal s . Awarded an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from the University of Missouri - Rolla in 1992 . Awarded ten Outstanding Teacher awards from UMR / S & T 2000 - 2010 , and the Missouri Governors Teaching Award 2004 .