Andrew M. Allen

Infobox Astronaut
name =Andrew Michael "Andy" Allen


type =Astronaut
nationality =American
date_birth = birth date|1955|8|4
place_birth =Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
occupation =Test Pilot
rank =Lieutenant Colonel, USMC
selection =1987 NASA Group
time =37d 16h12m
mission =STS-46, STS-62, STS-75
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.

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 [http://www.tomshakely.com/2006/05/15/andrew-allen-nasa-pilot-speaks-on-columbia-tragedy/ here] .

Military career

Allen received his commission in the United States Marine Corps at Villanova University in 1977. 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.

External links

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/allen-a.html NASA biography of Andy Allen]