| Michael Anderson | |
| Birth Name: | Michael Phillip Anderson |
| Birth Date: | 25 December 1959 |
| Birth Place: | Plattsburgh, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Over Texas, U.S. |
| Death Cause: | Space Shuttle Columbia disaster |
| Awards: | Congressional Space Medal of Honor |
| Type: | NASA astronaut |
| Rank: | Lieutenant Colonel, USAF |
| Time: | 24d 18h 8m |
| Selection: | NASA Group 15 (1994) |
| Mission: | STS-89 STS-107 |
Michael Phillip Anderson (December 25, 1959 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. Anderson 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. Anderson served as the payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia. Anderson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
Born on December 25, 1959, to Barbara and Bobbie Anderson, Michael was their third child and only son. His father serviced jets at Plattsburgh Air Force Base in Plattsburgh, New York.[1] Bobbie Anderson was transferred to Fairchild Air Force Base, about 12miles away from Spokane, Washington, which Anderson spoke of as his hometown.[2] He graduated from Cheney High School in Cheney, Washington, one of four African Americans in a class of 200 students.
In 1981, Anderson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1990, he earned a Master of Science degree in physics from Creighton University in Omaha.[3]
Upon Anderson's graduation from the University of Washington, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. After completing a year of technical training at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, Anderson was assigned to Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. At Randolph, he served as chief of communication maintenance for the 2015th Communication Squadron and later as director of information system maintenance for the 1920th Information System Group.
In 1986, Anderson was selected to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska as an EC-135 pilot, flying the Strategic Air Command's airborne command post code-named "Looking Glass." Anderson completed his master's degree while stationed at Offutt.
From January 1991 to September 1992, Anderson served as an aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the 920th Air Refueling Squadron, Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan.
From September 1992 to February 1995, Anderson was assigned as an instructor pilot and tactics officer in the 380th Air Refueling Wing, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York.
Anderson logged more than 3,000 hours of flight time when NASA selected him for astronaut training in December 1994. He was one of 19 candidates selected from a pool of 2,962 applicants.
Anderson reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He completed a year of training and evaluation, and was qualified for flight crew assignment as a mission specialist. Anderson was initially assigned technical duties in the Flight Support Branch of the Astronaut Office, but went on to log more than 593 hours in space aboard two Space Shuttle missions.
See main article: Space Shuttle Endeavour. STS-89 Endeavour (January 22–31, 1998). Anderson was a mission specialist on STS-89, the eighth Shuttle-to-Mir Space Station docking mission, during which the crew delivered over 9,000 pounds of scientific equipment, logistical hardware, and water.
In the fifth and last exchange of a U.S. astronaut, STS-89 delivered Andy Thomas to Mir and returned with David Wolf. The mission's duration was 8 days, 19 hours, and 47 seconds, traveling 3.6 million miles in 138 orbits of the Earth.
See main article: Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. STS-107 Space Shuttle Columbia (January 16–February 1, 2003). Anderson served as payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia, NASA's oldest shuttle.[4] On February 1, 2003, the shuttle was returning to Earth after a successful 16-day trip to orbit, where the crew had conducted more than 80 scientific experiments.[5]
Unbeknownst to her crew, the orbiter had suffered critical damage during its launch on January 16, when foam from the fuel tank's insulation fell off and tore a hole in Columbia's left wing.[6] During re-entry, the hole allowed super-hot atmospheric gases to penetrate the orbiter's wing, leading to its destruction. The mission's duration was 15 days, 22 hours, and 20 minutes.
Along with the rest of the STS-107 crew, Anderson was killed upon reentry when the shuttle disintegrated over Texas.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board reported[7] that, in addition to the Columbias physical damage, NASA's management culture was partly responsible for the disaster.[8]
Prior to the final launch of the Columbia, Anderson told reporters: "There's always that unknown."[9]
Anderson had a wife, Sandra Hawkins, and two daughters, Kaycee and Sydney. He also had three sisters.[10]
Anderson and his family lived in Houston at the time of his death, where they attended Grace Community Church.[11] Anderson sang tenor in the church's choir.