Space Shuttle Saturday At The Museum of Flight on August 17

PRESS RELEASE

Scientist, author, pilot and NASA astronaut Tom Jones will talk about all things space shuttle during a lecture and book signing on August 17, 2024 at The Museum of Flight. A veteran of four shuttle missions himself, Jones interviewed more than 130 fellow astronauts for personal vignettes from each mission for his new book, Space Shuttle Stories: Firsthand Astronaut Accounts from All 135 Missions. Space Shuttle Stories also includes astronaut written accounts for each mission, from Columbia’s maiden flight in 1981 to the final launch of Atlantis in 2011.

The event is presented in conjunction with the Museum’s new Home Beyond Earth exhibition. The Home Beyond Earth exhibit is entirely new and created by The Museum of Flight as an immersive experience in three galleries with a focus on the past, present and future of space stations and living in orbit around the Earth. Home Beyond Earth displays over fifty artifacts, models, space-flown objects and uniforms. Large digital projections enliven the galleries with photos, videos and vintage space art. Digital “passport” cards allow visitors to personalize their journey through the exhibit and build an imagined life in a space station of their choice. The exhibit is included with Museum general admission.

Astronaut Tom Jones

Thomas D. Jones, PhD, is a NASA astronaut, scientist, author, pilot and speaker. In more than eleven years with NASA he flew on four space shuttle missions to Earth orbit. In 2001, Dr. Jones led three spacewalks to install the centerpiece of the International Space Station, the American Destiny laboratory. He has spent fifty-three days working and living in space.

A Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Academy, Tom piloted B-52D strategic bombers, earned a doctorate in planetary sciences from the University of Arizona, studied asteroids and robotic exploration missions for NASA, and engineered intelligence-gathering systems for the CIA.

Jones is the author of seven space, aviation and history books: Ask the Astronaut, Planetology, (written with Ellen Stofan), Hell Hawks! The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler’s Wehrmacht (with Robert F. Dorr), and Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir. Sky Walking was named by the Wall Street Journal as one if its “Five Best” books on space.

Dr. Jones’ NASA awards include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, four NASA Space Flight Medals, the NASA Exceptional Service award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Public Service award. Asteroid 1082 TomJones is named in his honor. In 2018, Jones was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Tom served on the NASA Advisory Council and the boards of the Association of Space Explorers and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. He consults on the future direction of human space exploration, uses of asteroid and space resources, and planetary defense.

Founded in 1965, the independent, nonprofit Museum of Flight is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, annually serving over 600,000 visitors. The Museum’s collection includes more than 160 historically significant airplanes and spacecraft, from the first fighter plane (1914) to today’s 787 Dreamliner. Attractions at the 23-acre, 5-building Seattle campus include the original Boeing Company factory, the NASA Space Shuttle Trainer, Air Force One, Concorde, Lockheed Blackbird and Apollo Moon rockets. In addition to the Seattle campus adjacent to King County International Airport, the Museum also has its 3-acre Restoration Center and Reserve Collection at Paine Field in Everett (not currently open to the public).

With a foundation of aviation history, the Museum is also a hub of news and dialogue with leaders in the emerging field of private spaceflight ventures. The Museum’s aviation and space library and archives are the largest on the West Coast. More than 150,000 individuals are served annually by the Museum’s onsite and outreach educational programs. The Museum of Flight is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

Angela Decker

Angela Decker, from McPherson, Kansas, discovered her passion for aviation after earning a Master’s in Military History from Norwich University in 2011. Since 2012, she has volunteered with vintage aviation groups, excelling as a social media content creator and coordinator. Angela has coordinated aviation and WWII events, appeared as Rosie the Riveter, and is restoring a Stearman aircraft. She is the Operations Logistics Coordinator at CAF Airbase Georgia and an accountant with a degree in Economics from the University of Georgia. Her son, Caden, shares her love for aviation and history and is studying Digital Media Arts.

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