Michael Anderson | |
|---|---|
 1995 portrait | |
| Born | Michael Phillip Anderson December 25, 1959 Plattsburgh, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2003 (aged 43) Over Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Space Shuttle Columbia disaster |
| Education | |
| Awards | Congressional Space Medal of Honor |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel, USAF |
Time in space | 24d 18h 8m |
| Selection | NASA Group 15 (1994) |
| Missions | STS-89 STS-107 |
Mission insignia |   |
Michael Phillip Anderson (December 25, 1959 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. He and his six fellow crew members were killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the craft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.[1] Anderson served as the payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.