Tom Akers and Joe Tanner are finally in the same class - just 38 years after one of them started bossing the other around.
The two veteran space shuttle crew members were inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame together on May 16, under the retired space shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. They could also have been in the same NASA astronaut selection group, had history not decided to be a drama queen.
In 1984, Tanner reported to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to fly as an instructor pilot and then applied for the next class of astronaut candidates. “Tom came in with the class of 1987, which, interestingly enough, I interviewed for. He made it, and I didn’t,” said Tanner. “And I’ve been leading the way ever since,” said Akers, interrupting Tanner while both laughed. “I have never understood why it took NASA so long to pick him.” (Tanner finally became an astronaut in 1992.)
Their spaceflight careers overlapped by five years and included four missions each. They never launched together but flew numerous T-38 jet training flights and knew each other well. “Our families were friends,” said Akers. “We went to the same church, so we were more social friends than work friends at JSC.”
Twenty years after their last flights returned from space, they were inducted as the class of 2026. “It was something I was aware of as a possibility, but had never really given thought I would get inducted,” said Akers. “So it was a pleasant surprise for sure.” Tanner added, “We both knew we were on the ballot. I had been on the [nominee] ballot with Tom for 10 years.”
The induction ceremony coincided with the 34th anniversary of Akers’ landing from his most famous mission. On May 16, 1992, he touched down on space shuttle Endeavour after becoming one-third of the only three-person spacewalk in history. Together with STS-49 crewmates Rick Hieb and Pierre Thuot, he reached up with gloved hands to grab and secure a communications satellite. “All of our spacewalks are designed really for two people; the system really isn’t made where it’s easy for three people,” said Akers. “That was a unique situation… With the teamwork and great ground team support, it worked slick.”
Akers and Tanner both conducted spacewalks to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), delicately handling optical instruments in a tight space. Tanner also helped assemble the large backbone truss and solar arrays for the International Space Station (ISS). “Manual dexterity in your hands was more important for HST, and for ISS, you’re hauling around some pretty big, heavy objects and maneuvering a long way,” said Tanner.
In total, Akers spent almost 30 hours of his nearly 34 days in space on spacewalks. Tanner logged 43 days, including 46.5 hours on EVAs.
Saturday’s ceremony was led by news correspondent John Zarella and included remarks by Curt Brown, board chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation; Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of the visitor complex; and Kelvin Manning, deputy director for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. “Today’s induction honors two astronauts whose careers embody excellence, leadership, and service,” said Brown. “Their lasting contributions to NASA, and their ongoing work as educators and mentors, reflect the very best of the US space program.”
Brian Duffy, class of 2016, formally inducted Akers; Chris Ferguson, who flew as pilot of Tanner’s last mission and was inducted in 2022, honored Tanner. Some 20 veteran NASA astronauts, including 15 other Hall of Fame members, attended. The ceremony also unveiled etched-glass portraits and mission patch displays, joining 111 other plaques in the Heroes & Legends attraction, where the Hall of Fame has lived since 2016.