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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.
- January 28, 1986 (aged 40), North Atlantic Ocean
- Michael John Smith, April 30, 1945, Beaufort, North Carolina, U.S.
Feb 26, 2019 · Michael J. Smith was a NASA astronaut who died in the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster. He was a former Navy pilot with a distinguished career in the service and a future in space flight. Learn about his life, education, career, family, honors and awards, and legacy.
- Carolyn Collins Petersen
Jan 28, 2016 · Michael J. Smith was the pilot of the fatal 1986 Challenger mission, his first and only space flight. He was a Navy commander and test pilot who flew 28 different types of aircraft and logged over 4,300 hours of flight time.
Feb 3, 2003 · Learn about the seven astronauts who died in the Challenger explosion in 1986, including pilot Michael J. Smith. Read his biography and see his photos from the mission.
Jan 27, 2021 · Challenger’s crew—Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe—entered the crew cabin as spectators gathered from the viewing sections to watch the liftoff. The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-51-L.
Michael John Smith, 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), killing all seven crew members. Smith's voice was the last one heard on the Challenger voice recorder.
Michael J. Smith was a Navy pilot and a NASA astronaut who died in the Challenger disaster in 1986. He flew 28 different types of aircraft, received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and was assigned as pilot for STS 51-L and 61-N.
