Portrait of Tom Akers Courtesy of NASA

Tom Akers is an American astronaut who was born on May 20, 1951 in Missouri. Before he was an astronaut, Akers was a park ranger, teacher, and Air Force pilot. He has flown 25 different kinds of airplanes.

Akers became an astronaut in 1987. He has flown four flights. He has logged over 800 hours in space. Akers is known for his spacewalks. He currently holds the U.S. record for longest time outside the space shuttle.

Portrait of Tom Akers Courtesy of NASA

Tom Akers is an American astronaut who was born on May 20, 1951 in Missouri. Before he was an astronaut, Akers was a park ranger, teacher, and Air Force pilot. He has flown 25 different types of aircraft.

Akers became an astronaut in 1987. He has flown four flights and has logged over 800 hours in space. In 1990, he flew aboard STS-41, where he helped put a probe into space. In 1992, he flew aboard the new shuttle, Endeavour and made four spacewalks.

In 1993, Akers flew on the STS-61 mission where he helped repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Akers broke a U.S. record by spending 29 hours and 40 minutes in spacewalks on a single flight. In 1996, Akers flew aboard the STS-79, where he visited the Mir space station.

Portrait of Tom Akers Courtesy of NASA

Tom Akers is an American astronaut who was born on May 20, 1951 in Missouri. Before he was an astronaut, Akers was a park ranger, teacher, and Air Force pilot. He has flown 25 different types of aircraft.

Akers became an astronaut in 1987. He has flown four flights and has logged over 800 hours in space. In 1990, he flew aboard STS-41. He was a mission specialist who deployed the Ulysses spacecraft. Ulysses is a probe that monitors the sun. In 1992, he flew aboard the new shuttle, Endeavour. He made four spacewalks. He also helped capture a communications satellite.

In 1993, Akers flew on the STS-61 mission. This crew captured the Hubble Space Telescope and repaired it. Akers broke a U.S. record by spending 29 hours and 40 minutes in spacewalks on a single flight. In 1996, Akers flew aboard the STS-79. His crew swapped John Blaha for Shannon Lucid, who spent six months on the Mir space station.