Jack A. Jones was born on August 16, 1935 to Albin Oscar and Jennie Katharine Pickett Jones in Fayetteville, Tennessee. He remained in Fayetteville, Tennessee, until after his graduation from high school, at which point he moved to Rome, Georgia, to attend Berry College. After college, Mr. Jones worked under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for forty years specifically in Huntsville, Alabama.

During his early career, Mr. Jones worked to gather vibration data for the Saturn V rocket in support of the Apollo program, and he even received commendations for his work in supporting the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing. Later in his career, he worked as the chief engineer and later as the mission manager for both the Astro-1 and Astro-2 Observatory Missions, which put a system of telescopes on the space shuttle to transform it into an observatory.

By the time he retired in 1997, Mr. Jones had received numerous recognitions and awards, including the NASA Exceptional Service and Leadership Awards and the European Space Agency’s Spacelab Medals. After retiring, Mr. Jones relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, and began tutoring students as well as volunteering for organizations like the Senior Tar Heel Legislature and Men’s Garden Club of Asheville.

Mr. Jones died on September 28, 2016 in Asheville at the age of 81.