NAME:  Donald A. Thomas (Ph.D.)
       NASA Astronaut
 
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE:  Born May 6, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio.  His
mother, Mrs. Irene M. Thomas, resides at the American Embassy, New
Delhi, India.
 
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:  Brown hair; brown eyes; 5 feet 10 inches; 150
pounds.
 
EDUCATION:  Graduated from Cleveland Heights High School, Cleveland
Heights, Ohio, in 1973; received a bachelor of science degree in
Physics from Case Western Reserve University in 1977, and a master of
science degree and a doctorate in Materials Science from Cornell
University in 1980 and 1982, respectively.  His dissertation involved
evaluating the effect of crystalline defects and sample purity on the
superconducting properties of niobium.
 
MARITAL STATUS:  Single.
 
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS:  Swimming, biking, camping, flying.
 
ORGANIZATIONS:  Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics (AIAA), and Tau Beta Pi.
 
SPECIAL HONORS:  Graduated with Honors from Case Western Reserve
University in 1977.  Recipient of NASA Sustained Superior Performance
Award, 1989.
 
EXPERIENCE:  Following graduation from Cornell University in 1982, Dr.
Thomas joined AT&T Bell Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, working
as a Senior Member of the Technical Staff.  His responsibilities there
included the development of advanced materials and processes for high
density interconnections of semiconductor devices.  He was also an
adjunct professor in the Physics Department at Trenton State College
in New Jersey.  He holds two patents and has authored several
technical papers.  He left AT&T in 1987 to work for Lockheed
Engineering and Sciences Company in Houston, Texas, where his
responsibilities involved reviewing materials used in Space Shuttle
payloads.  In 1988 he joined NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center as
a Materials Engineer.  His work involved lifetime projections of
advanced composite materials for use on Space Station Freedom.  He was
also a Principal Investigator for the Microgravity Disturbances
Experiment, a middeck crystal growth experiment which flew on STS-32
in January 1990.  This experiment investigated the effects of Orbiter
and crew-induced disturbances on the growth of crystals in space.
 
He is a private pilot with over 250 hours in single engine land
aircraft and gliders, and over 175 hours flying as mission specialist
in NASA T-38 jet aircraft.
 
Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Thomas became an astronaut in
July 1991.  He is qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on
future Space Shuttle flight crews, and is currently assigned to the
Safety and Operations Development Branches of the Astronaut Office,
working on issues relating to Shuttle Orbiter systems.
 
AUGUST 1991