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Michael J. Smith | |
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![]() Smith in 1981 | |
Born | Michael John Smith April 30, 1945 Beaufort, North Carolina, U.S. |
Died | January 28, 1986 North Atlantic Ocean | (aged 40)
Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
Education | |
Awards | |
Space career | |
NASA astronaut | |
Rank | Captain, USN |
Selection | NASA Group 9 (1980) |
Missions | STS-51-L (disaster) |
Mission insignia | ![]() |
Michael John Smith (April 30, 1945 – January 28, 1986), (Capt USN) was an American engineer and astronaut. He served as the pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission, breaking up 73 seconds into the flight, and at an altitude of 48,000 feet (14.6 km),[1] killing all seven crew members. Smith's voice was the last one heard on the Challenger voice recorder.[2]
During his Naval career, Smith flew 28 different types of civilian and military aircraft and logged 4,867 hours of flying time. Following the Challenger disaster, he was promoted posthumously by Congress to the rank of captain, and has had a chair named in his honor at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California.