Andy Thomas

Andy Thomas AO (b. 1951), astronaut, joined NASA in 1992 having gained a PhD in mechanical engineering in his hometown of Adelaide. He completed his initial training at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas in 1993 and undertook training for long-duration space missions in Russia. He made his first space flight in 1996 and in 1998 boarded the Endeavour space shuttle to work at the Mir space station. As part of the 2001 Discovery mission, he completed a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to install components to the International Space Station. In 2005 he flew on the STS114 Discovery mission, undertaking new methods to inspect the orbiter in flight and to verify its fitness for re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. He retired from NASA in 2014 having logged more than 177 days in space.

Commissioned to create this work, Canadian-born photographers Denis Montalbetti and Gay Campbell conceived of a heroic portrait evoking the sense of courage and discovery associated with images of the early days of space exploration. Photographing Thomas in his NASA spacesuit was central to the concept, but the suits are so valuable they are not allowed to leave NASA facilities. So the artists went to Houston for the shoot. They had the backdrop – representing Earth as seen from space – fabricated beforehand, so that they could create the image they'd planned.

Commissioned with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2002
© Montalbetti & Campbell