Engineer who has name on moon dies
Thomas Shanahan Jr., whose name is engraved on a plaque on the moon, died Jan. 12 at Oak Lawn, Ill., near Chicago, from lung cancer at the age of 67.
Shanahan was an aeronautical engineer who worked on the Apollo 13 moon mission and was instrumental in designing a toilet seat spacewomen can use privately while in space, the Chicago Daily Southtown reported Monday.
His family says he spent 27 years working for Rockwell International in Downey, Calif., after growing up on Chicago's South Side.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Illinois and a master's degree in science at the University of Southern California. He worked on the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Apollo Soyuz space programs, the Southtown reported.
He is survived by his wife, Marguerite "Peg"; daughter Jean Coleman; sons Thomas and Stephen; step-daughter Colleen Padlock; stepson Raymond "Pat" Cox; and eight grandchildren.
A funeral for Shanahan was held Monday.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
