William E. Thornton

William Thornton
Thornton in 1981
Born
William Edgar Thornton

(1929-04-14)April 14, 1929
DiedJanuary 11, 2021(2021-01-11) (aged 91)
EducationUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BS, MD)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space
13d 1h 16m
SelectionNASA Group 6 (1967)
MissionsSTS-8
STS-51-B
Mission insignia
RetirementMay 31, 1994

William Edgar Thornton (April 14, 1929 – January 11, 2021) was an American NASA astronaut. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from University of North Carolina and a doctorate in medicine, also from UNC. He flew on Challenger twice, the STS-8 and STS-51-B missions.