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Pierre J. Thuot papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSP 179

Scope and Contents

The Pierre J. Thuot papers document the three shuttle missions that Thuot flew. These were STS-36, STS-49, and STS-62. Within the collection, there is material on all three but with the main focus on STS-49. There is little information about STS-36 because it is still classified by the U.S. government. 

Included in the collection are over 50 color photographs of Thuot training for the Intelsat VI capture that he performed on STS-49.  In addition to the photographs, included in the collection are technical reports, mission briefs, Personal Preference Kit (PPK) lists, pre-mission and post-mission information, diagrams, and day-of-launch procedures. 

Types of materials include: papers, photographs, overhead transparencies, and 16mm film reels.

Dates

  • Creation: 1989 - 1994

Creator

Access Information

The collection is open for research.

Copyright and Use Information

Portions of material in this collection are in the public domain. Other material copyrights held by Purdue University or original creator. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections prior to reproduction of materials.

Biographical Information

Pierre J. Thuot was born on May 19, 1955. Thuot graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 1977. Thuot graduated from Naval Flight officer training in 1978, and was deployed with Fighter Squadron 14 to the Mediterranean and Caribbean Sea aboard the USS John F. Kennedy and the USS Independence. While deployed, he attended Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). He was selected to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in which he graduated from in June of 1983. Thuot then worked as a project test flight officer for the Naval Air Test Center flying the F-14A Tomcat, A-6E Intruder, and the F-4J Phantom II until 1984. He then returned to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as a flight instructor. At this time, he graduated from the University of Southern California in 1985 with a Master of Science degree in Systems Management.

Thuot was selected by NASA in June of 1985. His first assignments were technical including duties as CAPCOM for various shuttle missions. Thuot's first spaceflight was on STS-36 Atlantis as a mission specialist. It launched on February 28, 1990.

His next spaceflight was STS-49 Endeavor on May 7, 1992. Again, Thuot was a mission specialist for this mission. Along with astronauts Rick Hieb and Tom Akers, Thuot preformed the first 3-man space walk in order to repair the Intelsat VI satellite. This was the longest spacewalk at the time, breaking the Apollo 17 record. Thuot's job during the spacewalk was to capture the satellite and attach it to the Shuttle so that it could be moved into the cargo bay and repaired.

Thuot's third mission was aboard STS-62 Columbia. This shuttle launched on March 4, 1994 with the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP - 2) and the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST – 2) experiments. More than 60 experiments were conducted during this flight including human physiology, robotics, atmospheric ozone monitoring, and spacecraft glow.

Thuot left NASA in June of 1995 and returned to the Navy as an Associate Chairman in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He now works for Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as a Senior Systems Engineer in Aerospace Systems Analysis Force Projection Department.

Sources:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/thuot.html

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-36/mission-sts-36.html

Extent

3.999 Cubic Feet (Six letter-size full-width manuscript boxes, one legal-size full-width manuscript box, one legal-size half-width manuscript box, and one cubic foot box)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

The papers have been arranged into two series.

  1. Printed Materials
  2. Audio Visual

Acquisition Information

Collection donated by Pierre J. Thuot, January 13, 2014.

Processing Information

The material has been placed into acid-free folders and acid-free boxes. Polyester sleeves were used where warranted.

Title
Pierre J. Thuot papers
Status
Under Review
Author
Max Campbell and Mary A. Sego
Date
2020-05-29
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Edition statement
Third edition. Collection description first completed 2014-10-27.

Repository Details

Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
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