Michael P. Anderson

Image:Mpanderson.jpg

Michael P. Anderson (December 25, 1959 - February 1, 2003) was an astronaut and the space shuttle payload commander of STS-107 (Columbia) who was killed when the craft disintegrated after reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Though Anderson was born in Plattsburgh, New York, he considered Spokane, Washington his hometown.

Anderson was a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force and became an astronaut in 1994 and had served aboard Russia's Mir space station in 1998.

Washington State Highway 904, running through Cheney, Washington, where he graduated from high school, was renamed in his memory.

After his death, Asteroid 51824 Mikeanderson was named for him.

Quotes

Prior to the final launch of the Columbia, Anderson stated:

• "There's always that unknown."

See also:

• Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
• space science

External Links

• NASA biography
• The Chicago Alliance for Minority Participation Keynote Address by Major Michael P. Anderson