Astronauts Andy Thomas, VK5MIR, and Dave Leestma, N5QWC, Retire from NASA

Astronauts Andy Thomas, VK5MIR/ex-KD5CHF, and Dave Leestma, N5WQC, have announced their retirements from NASA. Both operated on ham radio from space, and Thomas, as the last US astronaut to complete a duty tour onboard the Russian Mir space station, conducted several contacts with students on Earth as part of the SAREX program, the predecessor to ARISS.

A native of Australia, Thomas, 62, became …

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources