Reprinted from DankowskiIntelligence 4th edition site link
To purchase NASA Tom’s outstanding metal detecting DVD, click HERE
Biography: Thomas J. Dankowski
Born in 1962, Thomas J. Dankowski is presently employed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, currently working with NASA’s Space Shuttle program and the assembly of the International Space Station. With the utilization of visual and navigational landing systems, he has been training astronauts and cosmonauts how to land, for the past 15 years. Previously, Thomas was a Naval nuclear powered fast-attack submariner.
Thomas purchased his first metal detector in 1972. Then, in 1973, he found his first ‘significant’ find; a rare 1856 Flying Eagle U.S. one cent coin. At the age of eleven, he sold the penny for $700.00 and never told his parents. From that point forward, he was “hooked” into this wonderful hobby of treasure hunting. With this specific experience Thomas claims: “This is where I learned money-management. It took me 2 years to spend the $700.00. Grateful for this positive incident, however, I regret selling such a rare coin – as I no longer have ‘proof’ in my custody with this key-date coin”.
At the time of this writing (July 2002) Thomas has accrued 30 years of detecting
experience. It has simply been a fanatical hobby for him, until recently. In more recent events, Thomas has helped locate murder weapons for FBI and police departments
who have all but given up on feudal searches; helped NASA locate metal items in certain, specific projects; located iron spikes and nails in lumber logs entering industrial saw-mills; located a projectile/bullet in a gunshot victim for an ambulance crew (pin-pointing accuracy took on a new meaning!); Found the usual domestic-dispute “lost” wedding & engagement ring sets; located a ‘misplaced’ buried cache for an individual; and the list goes on.
Thomas’ primary treasure hunting interests are finding the extreme depth older coins. A good relic hunt occasionally piques his interests. Thomas claims that launching Space Shuttles is his hobby and that treasure hunting is his profession. He has trained hobbyists and professionals how to use a metal detector in a wide variety of applications. Frequently, Thomas gives educational lectures at seminars and local treasure hunting clubs. He has written many ‘very technical’ articles pertaining to the hobby, produced a professional training video, and works with Fisher Research Laboratory R&D department on current production and future metal
detector concepts. — Who knows, using a metal detector on Mars to find mineral deposits and metals might be in our space programs future!
