Thomas Dale Akers

Thomas Dale Akers is a former American astronaut in NASA's Space Shuttle program. Akers was the valedictorian of his 29-member 1969 senior class from Eminence, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla 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 math teacher, and subsequently its high school principal. He was selected for the astronaut program in 1987 and officially became an astronaut in 1988. 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. On 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. 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. His last mission was in 1996 on STS-79, the 17th flight of shuttle Atlantis. 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. Akers retired from teaching in 2010.