Michael Philip Anderson (March 31 1959 – February 1 2003) was an American astronaut and United States Air Force officer who served as a mission specialist on two Space Shuttle flights. He was a payload specialist on STS‑89 (1998) and a mission specialist on STS‑107, the final flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, which was lost during re‑entry, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members.
Early Life and Education
- Birth: March 31 1959, Pascagoula, Mississippi, U.S.
- Family: Son of William and Ruth Anderson; married to Cheryl Ann Jessen with three children.
- Education:
- Graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
- Earned a Master of Science in Engineering Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics from the University of Colorado Boulder (1990).
Military Career
- Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force upon graduation from the Academy.
- Served as an aerospace engineer and test pilot, accumulating more than 2,500 flight hours in over 30 aircraft types.
- Held positions including chief of the Space Shuttle program’s payload integration group.
- Retired from the Air Force with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
NASA Career
- Selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 1994; completed training in 1995.
- STS‑89 (January 1998): Served as payload specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, delivering the Russian Mir space station a docking module and returning with the Mir crew.
- STS‑107 (January 2003): Served as mission specialist on Columbia, conducting a wide range of scientific experiments in microgravity. The mission ended in disaster when Columbia disintegrated upon re‑entry over Texas and Louisiana on February 1, 2003.
Awards and Honors
- Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor (2004).
- Received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, among others.
- Several facilities and scholarships have been named in his honor, including the Michael P. Anderson Science Center at the United States Air Force Academy.
Legacy
Anderson’s contributions to aerospace engineering, his role in international space cooperation, and his dedication to scientific research continue to be recognized within the astronaut community and by institutions promoting STEM education. His death, along with his six crewmates, prompted extensive investigations into Shuttle safety and led to reforms in NASA’s operational procedures.