Fed: Aussie astronaut's mum continues anxious wait

AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-2005
Fed: Aussie astronaut's mum continues anxious wait

CANBERRA, Aug 8 AAP - The mother of Australian astronaut Andy Thomas is confident the
US space shuttle Discovery will land safely today, but says she's bracing herself for
the danger time - the final 30 minutes.

The Discovery will return to the Kennedy Space Centre at 6.46pm (AEST) and Elizabeth
Thomas is enduring a nervous wait as news of the mission continues to filter through.

Adelaide-born Andy Thomas, 53, is one of seven crew taking part in NASA's first shuttle
mission since the Columbia disaster two-and-half years ago. He is one of NASA's most experienced
astronauts with three previous space missions.

The Discovery mission has been plagued by problems, one of which necessitated a risky
spacewalk mission to remove pieces of debris from the shuttle's fragile belly.

Despite NASA's reassurances that everything is on schedule, recent insulator problems
mean there are concerns over the durability of the shuttle's insulator tiles as it re-enters
the atmosphere.

"I've been glued to the Sky Channel news all night actually, watching what they said
about the shuttle coming down," Mrs Thomas told the Nine Network today.

"The worst part is half an hour before they come down - that's the danger part.

"That's when Columbia went but I am quite confident ... I'm looking forward to them coming down."

The Columbia shuttle burst into flames as it attempted re-entry on February 1, 2003
killing all seven astronauts on board.

Discovery's external fuel tank lost some foam insulation upon takeoff, but unlike the
tragic Columbia mission, the shuttle was not damaged by the debris.

Mrs Thomas said she had received an email from her son, instructing her not to worry.

"He said not to worry, everything was fine," she said.

"But I must say when bits start dropping off it's a bit worrying."

Andy reacted publicly to the fact that despite all efforts, pieces of insulating foam
flew off from the shuttle on take off.

But Mrs Thomas said she wasn't surprised her son had voiced his concerns.

"Andrew can be like that," she said.

"He tends to be critical if things aren't done properly - how well I know ... ."

With this his farewell mission, Andy plans to visit Australia in October with his new
wife Shannon Walker, 39, also a NASA astronaut.

AAP db/lma/bwl

KEYWORD: US SHUTTLE THOMAS

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