Anthony Wayne England (born May 15, 1942) is an American former NASA astronaut. Selected in 1967, England was among a group of astronauts who served as backups during the Apollo and Skylab programs. Like most others in his class, he flew during the Space Shuttle program, serving as a mission specialist on STS-51-F in 1985. He has logged more than 4,000 hours of flying time and 188 hours in space.

England helped develop and use radars to probe the Moon on Apollo 17 and glaciers in Washington and Alaska. He participated in and led field parties during two seasons in Antarctica.

England was the former dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan–Dearborn.

Biography

Early years and education

England was born May 15, 1942, in Indianapolis, Indiana, but his hometown is West Fargo, North Dakota. He attended primary school in Indianapolis, Indiana, and graduated from high school in North Dakota. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) he received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Earth and planetary sciences (course 12A) in 1965, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Earth and planetary sciences in 1970. England was a graduate fellow at MIT for the three years immediately preceding his first assignment to NASA. At 25 years 81 days old, he was the youngest candidate to be selected up to that time. He subsequently completed the initial academic training and a 53-week course in flight training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. He received his wings with distinguished honors in April 1969. England served as a support crewman for the Apollo 13 and 16 flights. He was also an EVA CapCom during the Apollo 16 mission, talking to astronauts John Young and Charlie Duke while they explored the surface of the Moon. Notably, he developed and communicated instructions for construction of the lithium hydroxide canisters on Apollo 13.

England and Philip Chapman resigned from NASA in 1972, citing the era's decline in crewed missions and severe dearth of flight opportunities. Neither had flown in space at that point. England remained with the federal government at the United States Geological Survey, where he served as deputy chief of the Office of Geochemistry and Geophysics. He also served as associate editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research. He served on the National Academy's Space Studies Board, and on several federal committees concerned with Antarctic policy, nuclear waste containment and the broader vicissitudes of science and technology policy.

From May 1986 to May 1987, England served as a program scientist for Space Station Freedom (which later evolved into the International Space Station). From June 1987 to December 1987, he taught Remote Sensing Geophysics at Rice University. England retired from NASA in 1988. and the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority.

Personal

England was married for 51 years to his childhood sweetheart, Kathi (Kreutz) until her death in 2013 and has two daughters: Heidi and Heather. He has five grandchildren: Brandi, Spenser, Charlene, Brock, Sage.. His recreational interests include sailing and amateur radio.

Awards and honors

  • Johnson Space Center Superior Achievement Award (1970)

For supporting diversity at the University of Michigan, England received the Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award in 2002 and the NCID Exemplary Diversity Engagement and Scholarship Award in 2009.

  • Engineering Lab Building at the University of Michigan Dearborn campus was renamed after Tony England as Tony England Engineering Lab Building in 2024

References

  • Spacefacts biography of England