Kathryn C. Thornton

Kathryn C. Thornton is Professor Emerita at the University of Virginia in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Selected by NASA in May 1984, Thornton is a veteran of four space flights. She has logged over 975 hours in space, including more than 21 hours of extravehicular activity (EVA), and was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010.

Thornton began her career as a civilian physicist at the U.S. Army Foreign Science and Technology Center in Charlottesville, VA. While working in Charlottesville, she saw a call for applications for the third class of astronauts that included women. She applied, was selected, and moved to Houston, TX to start her second career as an astronaut. Her missions included a classified Department of Defense mission, a satellite rescue and redeployment, the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope and a mission dedicated to physical science experiments in microgravity. She left NASA in 1996 to start her third and longest career as a professor at the University of Virginia (UVA). After 22 years teaching and advising students, she retired from UVA to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2019.

Dr. Thornton is the recipient of numerous awards including NASA Space Flight Medals, the Explorer Club Lowell Thomas Award, the University of Virginia Distinguished Alumna Award, the Freedom Foundation Freedom Spirit Award, and the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement. She currently serves on the boards of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.