Andrew M. Allen

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Andrew Michael "Andy" Allen
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Retired
Born	(1955-08-04) August 4, 1955 (age 56) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Other occupation	Test Pilot, CEO - Global Safety Labs
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel, USMC
Time in space	37d 16h12m
Selection	1987 NASA Group
Missions	STS-46, STS-62, STS-75
Mission insignia

Andrew Michael "Andy" Allen (born 4 August 1955) is a retired United States Astronaut. A former United States Marine Corps aviator and Lt. Colonel, he worked as a test pilot before joining NASA in 1987. He flew three shuttle missions before retiring in 1997.

Biography

This section requires expansion.

Andrew Michael Allen was born on 4 August 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in 1973 and was interviewed in 2003 for the school's newspaper, The Viking Voice. He then graduated from Villanova University. The crux of the interview is Mr. Allen's history with NASA and the future of the agency in regard to the then-recent Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. That interview can be found online here. In 2004 he received his Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida.

Military career

Allen received his commission in the United States Marine Corps at Villanova University in 1977. At Villanova, he initiated into Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Following graduation from flight school, he flew F-4 Phantoms from 1980 to 1983 with VMFA-312 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, and was assigned as the Aircraft Maintenance Officer. He was selected by Headquarters Marine Corps for fleet introduction of the F/A-18 Hornet, and was assigned to VMFA-531 in Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, from 1983 to 1986. During his stay in VMFA-531, he was assigned as the squadron Operations Officer, and also attended and graduated from the Marine Weapons & Tactics Instructor Course, and the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). A 1987 graduate of the United States Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, he was a test pilot under instruction when advised of his selection to the astronaut program. He logged over 6,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.

Awards and decorations

• Legion of Merit
• Distinguished Flying Cross
• Defense Superior Service Medal
• Defense Meritorious Service Medal
• Single Mission Air Medal
• NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
• NASA Exceptional Service Medal
• NASA Space Flight Medal

He also received: Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Bucks County Community College (1993); Honorary Doctorate of Engineering Science from Villanova University (1997) and Honorary Doctorate of Science from Daniel Webster College (1998).

External links

Biography portal

• NASA biography of Andy Allen

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