Donald Thomas
By William D.Hinsch
Donald Thomas
“Donald Thomas’ journey from a young boy in Cleveland, dreaming under a starlit sky, to an accomplished astronaut is a testament to unwavering determination and passionate pursuit of one’s dreams. His story, marked by perseverance through repeated
rejections and relentless self-improvement, is a powerful reminder that the road to achieving extraordinary goals is often paved with resilience and hard work.”
Donald A. Thomas, an accomplished astronaut and dedicated scholar, has had a lifelong passion for space exploration. Born on May 6, 1955, in Cleveland, Ohio, Thomas was inspired by Alan Shepard’s historic spaceflight and knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in space. He graduated from Cleveland Heights High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from Case Western Reserve University, followed by a master’s and Ph.D. in engineering from Cornell University.
His academic pursuits were complemented by his involvement in the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps, which paved the way for his future career. Thomas worked at AT&T in research before joining NASA’s Johnson Space Center as a materials engineer, where he focused on space shuttle payloads and space station materials.
Thomas’s determination paid off when he was selected as an astronaut in 1990 after several applications. He flew four space shuttle missions, starting with Columbia in 1994, where he conducted microgravity experiments and spacewalks. His subsequent missions included the “all-Ohio” Discovery flight in 1995 and two more flights on Columbia, where he contributed to various scientific research and the International Microgravity Laboratory.
