posted 01-14-2021 11:19 AM               

Astronaut William Thornton, who invented space shuttle treadmill, dies at 91

Former NASA astronaut William "Bill" Thornton, who used his own inventions to measure and combat the ill-effects of microgravity while on board two space shuttle missions, has died at the age of 91.

Thornton's death on Jan. 11 was reported by NASA on Thursday (Jan. 14).

"NASA is saddened to learn of the loss of former physician-astronaut, Dr. William Thornton, who died last week at his home in Boerne, Texas," the agency stated.

posted 01-14-2021 02:55 PM               

I first met with Bill for a formal interview at Johnson Space Center in August 1988 and we hit it off straight away to the point where at the end of that first interview he invited me to his home a couple of days later.

On the appointed day he picked me up in his vintage Mercedes from where I was staying. On the way to his house, he stopped by a drive through butchers, to pick up some steaks, which was an eye-opening experience for this Englishman on his first trip to the United States and a novel way to order meat for that night's dinner!

This was the start of a friendship lasting over 30 years involving many visits to his home in Friendswood and San Antonio and getting to know the man behind the astronaut wings and his English wife Jennifer.

Bill was always interested in my work and contributed in many ways over the years in many publications including supplying information to fill one complete issue of my self-published fanzine ORBITER. It was Bill who, after my nearly five years of trying, secured a personal interview for me with John Young, and who accompanied me on a guided tour of JSC's Building 9 Shuttle training facilities and the new Space Station Freedom mockup.

Of course, Bill was instrumental in my research for my book on Skylab, Jerry Carr's biography and the cooperative work with Colin Burgess on NASA's Scientist Astronauts.

Each time Bill and I met he was enthusiastic to hear the latest news on the Soviet programme. He was also always open to share his experiences as a scientist-astronaut, from his flights, training, experiences on SMEAT and work in developing the Spacelab design, and the latest space equipment he was working on including the treadmill and Shuttle toilet.

In October 1991, we shared a memorable lecture tour I had arranged of the English Midlands notably with Bill presenting papers at Oxford and Birmingham Universities and some wonderful formal dinners there. Another memorable image from that time was when we visited a local school in the Midlands at the same time as Helen Sharman.

It was during this visit that Bill and Jennifer had a wonderful tour of Worcester Cathedral and famous Pottery Museum. His visit to the Black Country Museum was especially exciting for him due to his interest in the history of technology. In particular, seeing up close and personal Thomas Newcomen's invention of the first practical steam engine for pumping water in 1712.

Bill was a warm and engaging man, interesting in a wide variety of subjects, passionate about human spaceflight and the medical aspects of such an endeavour. He was also at times frustrated about the pace of such developments or rather the lack of them.

One memorable story, he told me from the 1979 tropical storm Elena, was when the floodwaters threatening their Friendswood home, they could see fish hitting the patio windows from the outside trying to get in. Then, once the floods had subsided, they returned to find fish on the inside of their lounge hitting the window trying to get out!

I always enjoyed hearing his recollections and experiences in the American space programme, and he equally enjoyed hearing the latest news about my family.

Both Bill and Jennifer were close family friends and I treasure the hours spent with them in Houston, San Antonio (especially with Jennifer's horses), and here in England. I am thankful for his support of my work and my archives are much richer in detail and my understanding of the programme greater for his help and the hours spent taping interviews and making notes.

I regret I had not been able to see them in person in recent years, but treasure the photos I have from those earlier meetings.

He deserved a third or fourth spaceflight, but it was not to be, but from the two he participated in and the decades of dedicated research there is a rich archive of material for researchers to explore and enjoy.