Astronaut Don Thomas grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As a kindergartner, he watched Alan Shepard become the first American in space. He witnessed the historic careers of fellow Ohioans, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, rocket to the moon. Thomas wanted to do what they had done. In the Footsteps of Neil Armstrong and John Glenn is the story of the dedication and hard work that eventually made Thomas an astronaut who logged more than one thousand hours in space. Even more, the book is a firsthand account of the all-Ohio shuttle mission highlighting the state's contributions to NASA space program.
Written in an engaging manner, the book is a must for those who want to feel what it was like have a dream and make it a reality.
Donald A. Thomas is the director of the Willard Hackerman Academy of Mathematics and Science at Towson University. A veteran astronaut, he joined NASA in 1988 as a materials engineer for the Space Shuttle Program. In 1990 he was selected to be a mission specialist astronaut in NASA's thirteenth group of astronauts.
He is a veteran of four space shuttle missions and has logged over one thousand hours in space. He received his bachelor's degree in physics from Case Western Reserve University, and his master's and doctoral degrees in materials science from the School of Engineering at Cornell University.
posted 02-12-2013 10:40 AM
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