William McCool was an American NASA astronaut and United States Navy officer who served as pilot on the Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-107 in January 2003, his only spaceflight. He was among the seven crew members killed when Columbia broke apart during reentry over Texas on February 1, 2003, a disaster later traced to foam debris that struck and damaged the orbiters wing during launch, allowing superheated gas to breach the wing structure during reentry.
Facts
Classification
Astronaut Role In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWilliam C. McCool, Wikipedia - lead section, astronaut roleQuote, William C. McCool, Wikipedia - lead section, astronaut role
William Cameron "Willie" McCool (né Graham; September 23, 1961, February 1, 2003) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut, who was the pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-107.
2. William C. McCool
Infobox, birth_date
1961-09-23
Introduction
was an American naval officer
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