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Donald A. Thomas

Cleveland-born materials scientist who was turned down by NASA three times before flying four shuttle missions (1994-1997), including the 'All-Ohio' STS-70 flight he later chronicled in the book 'Orbit of Discovery'.

Born May 6, 1955, Cleveland

Donald A. Thomas
Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Born
May 6, 1955, Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) source
Also known as
Don Thomas, Donald A. Thomas
Known as
Aviation Space, Science Engineering, Education, Literature

Donald A. Thomas is living. This page covers their public life only, from published sources. Correct this page · hello@crackedbuckeye.com

Life story

Don Thomas was born in Cleveland in 1955, graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1973 and took a physics degree at Case Western Reserve University in 1977 before a Cornell doctorate in materials science (1982). He worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories, then moved to Houston to work on shuttle payload materials, and was rejected by NASA's astronaut selection three times before being chosen on his fourth try in 1990. He flew on STS-65 (1994), STS-70 (1995), STS-83 and STS-94 (both 1997), logging over 1,040 hours in space, and later ran NASA's operations at Star City in Russia and served as International Space Station program scientist before retiring in 2007. STS-70, with four Ohioans and an 'honorary Ohioan' aboard, became known as the All-Ohio mission and the 'woodpecker flight'; Thomas, who had asked Governor George Voinovich to make pilot Kevin Kregel an honorary Ohioan, told its story in 'Orbit of Discovery' (University of Akron Press, 2013). He carried a Cleveland Browns flag into orbit in 1997, now shown at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, and went on to direct the Hackerman Academy of Mathematics and Science at Towson University.

Ohio ties

  • Cleveland (1955)
    birthplace Cuyahoga County · source
  • Cleveland Heights (to 1973)
    graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1973 Cuyahoga County · source
  • Cleveland (Case Western Reserve University) (1973-1977)
    B.S. in physics with honors, 1977 Cuyahoga County · source
  • Columbus (Ohio State Fair) (1995)
    Governor Voinovich invited the STS-70 crew to the 1995 Ohio State Fair, where Thomas met journalist Mike Bartell, later his co-author Franklin County · source
  • Canton (Pro Football Hall of Fame) (1997-)
    the Cleveland Browns flag and patches he flew on STS-83 are displayed there Stark County · source
  • Toledo (Toledo-Lucas County Main Library) (c. 2005)
    presented a ceremonial glass key from the STS-70 mission to the library Lucas County · source
  • Cleveland (Jacobs Field, now Progressive Field) (2006)
    threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Cleveland Indians-Kansas City Royals game on May 18, 2006 Cuyahoga County · source
  • Akron (University of Akron Press) (2013)
    published 'Orbit of Discovery: The All-Ohio Space Shuttle Mission' Summit County · source

Timeline

  1. 1955 Born May 6 in Cleveland, Ohio. source
  2. 1961 As a kindergartner, watched Alan Shepard's launch on television and decided he wanted to be an astronaut. source
  3. 1973 Graduated from Cleveland Heights High School. source
  4. 1977 Graduated with honors in physics from Case Western Reserve University. source
  5. 1982 Earned a Cornell Ph.D. in materials science, with a dissertation on defects and purity in superconducting niobium, and joined AT&T Bell Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey. source
  6. 1987 Moved to Houston to review shuttle payload materials for Lockheed Engineering and Sciences, joining NASA's Johnson Space Center as a materials engineer in 1988. source
  7. 1990 Selected as an astronaut in January on his fourth application; his Microgravity Disturbances crystal-growth experiment flew on STS-32 that month. source
  8. 1994 Flew on STS-65 Columbia (July 8-23), the second International Microgravity Laboratory, then a shuttle duration record. source
  9. 1995 Flew on STS-70 Discovery (July 13-22), the 'All-Ohio' mission, and by his account pushed the button that deployed the last Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. source
  10. 1997 Flew on STS-83 Columbia (April 4-8), cut short by a fuel cell problem, carrying a Cleveland Browns flag; flew the reflight, STS-94 (July 1-17), three months later. source
  11. 1999 Served from July 1999 to June 2000 as NASA's Director of Operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia. source
  12. 2006 Threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Cleveland Indians played Kansas City at Jacobs Field on May 18. source
  13. 2007 Retired from NASA in July after serving as International Space Station Program Scientist. source
  14. 2013 The University of Akron Press published 'Orbit of Discovery: The All-Ohio Space Shuttle Mission' by Thomas with Toledo journalist Mike Bartell, with a foreword by John Glenn and an introduction by George Voinovich (November 26). source
  15. 2015 Listed as 'Donald A. Thomas of Cleveland' among Ohio's 25 astronauts in Ohio House Resolution 28. source

Stories

Four tries to get in

Thomas said he wanted to be an astronaut from the time he watched Alan Shepard launch in 1961, when he was in kindergarten. NASA turned him down twice. To stand out he earned a pilot's license, taught a university course and furthered his education; on his third try he reached the 100 semi-finalists, spent a week in Houston for medical tests and interviews, and was still rejected. He then moved more than 1,500 miles to Houston to work on shuttle materials, first for Lockheed and then at Johnson Space Center, and was accepted on his fourth application in January 1990.

Source

The woodpecker and the honorary Ohioan

When the STS-70 crew was named, Thomas noticed that four of the five had grown up in Ohio; only pilot Kevin Kregel came from elsewhere, Amityville, New York. Thomas contacted Governor George Voinovich, who issued a proclamation making Kregel an 'Honorary Ohioan' and so created 'The All-Ohio Space Shuttle Mission.' A week before the June 1995 launch date, a 'love-sick' woodpecker, in Thomas's words, pecked holes in the foam insulation on Discovery's external tank. Thomas gives 205 holes; NASA's own report of the time put the damage at about six dozen. The shuttle was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, the crew posed with a predator-eye balloon meant to scare birds off, and Discovery finally flew on July 13; after landing the crew met Woody Woodpecker at Kennedy Space Center. Thomas told the whole story, with a foreword by John Glenn, in 'Orbit of Discovery' (2013).

Source

A Browns flag in orbit

On STS-83 in April 1997 Thomas carried a Cleveland Browns flag aboard Columbia and posed in his launch and entry suit with a Browns helmet and patches. The flag and patches went to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Fellow Ohioan Michael Gernhardt of Mansfield flew with him on the mission, which carried 11 experiments from NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

Source

Sites to know

Homes, graves, markers, museums and monuments; the numbered ones are on the map.

1234
  • 1 Cleveland Heights High School (class of 1973)
    Cleveland Heights Cuyahoga County · source
  • 2 Case Western Reserve University (B.S. physics, 1977)
    Cleveland Cuyahoga County · source
  • 3 Pro Football Hall of Fame (displays the Browns flag he flew on STS-83)
    Canton Stark County · source
  • 4 Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, Main Library (holds an STS-70 ceremonial glass key he presented)
    Toledo Lucas County · source

Ohio places

Where Donald A. Thomas was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.

Myths and corrections

Things often said about Donald A. Thomas, and what the record shows.

Often said Four of the five STS-70 astronauts were born in Ohio (Wikipedia's Donald A. Thomas article).

The record Only three were: Thomas and Mary Ellen Weber in Cleveland and Tom Henricks in Bryan. Nancy Currie was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and grew up in Troy. Thomas's own account says four of the five had grown up in Ohio. source

Often said The STS-70 woodpecker drilled 205 holes in Discovery's external tank.

The record That is Thomas's figure. NASA's June 2, 1995 release reported 'about six dozen' small holes, and Wikipedia, citing NASA, gives about 71. source

Documents

Primary records: patents, letters, court and government files, nominations and old county histories, each at the archive that holds it.

Pictures

Free to use with the credit shown. Select a picture for the original and its license.

  • These 18 men and five women make up NASA's 1990 class of astronaut candidates. Kneeling, left to right, are Charles J. P
    These 18 men and five women make up NASA's 1990 class of astronaut candidates. Kneeling, left to right, are Ch...
    Public domain
  • The STS-70 astronauts enjoy an early morning breakfast in the Operations and Checkout building, prior to suiting up and
    The STS-70 astronauts enjoy an early morning breakfast in the Operations and Checkout building, prior to suiti...
    Public domain
  • The STS-83 flight crew enjoys the traditional pre-liftoff breakfast in the crew quarters of the Operations and Checkout
    The STS-83 flight crew enjoys the traditional pre-liftoff breakfast in the crew quarters of the Operations and...
    Public domain
  • The STS-94 flight crew enjoys the traditional pre-liftoff breakfast in the crew quarters of the Operations and Checkout
    The STS-94 flight crew enjoys the traditional pre-liftoff breakfast in the crew quarters of the Operations and...
    Public domain
  • Astronaut Donald A. Thomas.
    Astronaut Donald A. Thomas.
    Public domain
  • Astronauts training (Expedition 6) Cosmonaut Nikolai M. Budarin (left), astronaut Donald A. Thomas, both Expedition Six
    Astronauts training (Expedition 6) Cosmonaut Nikolai M. Budarin (left), astronaut Donald A. Thomas, both Exped...
    Public domain
  • An all-star gathering of legendary American astronauts appeared in Cleveland August 29, 2008 to celebrate NASA's 50th an
    An all-star gathering of legendary American astronauts appeared in Cleveland August 29, 2008 to celebrate NASA...
    Public domain
  • The STS-94 crew walks out of the Operations and Checkout Building and heads for the Astrovan that will transport them to
    The STS-94 crew walks out of the Operations and Checkout Building and heads for the Astrovan that will transpo...
    Public domain
  • Six NASA astronauts and a Japanese payload specialist take a break from training to pose for their crew portrait. Left t
    Six NASA astronauts and a Japanese payload specialist take a break from training to pose for their crew portra...
    No known restrictions
  • The crew assigned to the STS-65 mission included (seated left to right) Richard J. (Rick) Hieb, payload commander; Rober
    The crew assigned to the STS-65 mission included (seated left to right) Richard J. (Rick) Hieb, payload comman...
    Public domain
  • In the spacelab science module aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, the seven crewmembers pose f
    In the spacelab science module aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, the seven crewmemb...
    Public domain
  • The crew assigned to the STS-70 mission included (front left to right) Kevin R. Kregel, pilot; Nancy J. Currie, mission
    The crew assigned to the STS-70 mission included (front left to right) Kevin R. Kregel, pilot; Nancy J. Currie...
    Public domain

Sources

Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.

Every link goes to the original source. Profile researched 2026-10-15.

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