David M. Brown

David Brown
Brown in September 2001
Born
David McDowell Brown

(1956-04-16)April 16, 1956
DiedFebruary 1, 2003(2003-02-01) (aged 46)
Over Texas, U.S.
Cause of deathSpace Shuttle Columbia disaster
EducationCollege of William and Mary (BS)
Eastern Virginia Medical School (MD)
Awards
Space career
NASA astronaut
RankCaptain, USN
Time in space
15d 22h 20m
SelectionNASA Group 16 (1996)
MissionsSTS-107
Mission insignia

David McDowell Brown (April 16, 1956 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Navy captain and NASA astronaut. He died on his first spaceflight, when the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) disintegrated during orbital reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Brown became an astronaut in 1996 but had not served on a space mission prior to the Columbia disaster. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.[1]

  1. ^ "NASA Biographical Data" (PDF). NASA. 2004-05-01. Retrieved 2024-02-06.