Michael J. Smith was an American NASA astronaut and United States Navy officer who served as pilot on the Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-51-L in January 1986, his only spaceflight. He was among the seven crew members killed when Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch due to the failure of a solid rocket booster seal, a disaster that led to a lengthy grounding of the Shuttle fleet and a major redesign of the boosters.
Facts
Classification
Astronaut Role Dating
Selection Year In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationMichael J. Smith, Wikipedia - lead section, astronaut roleQuote, Michael J. Smith, Wikipedia - lead section, astronaut role
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.
2. Michael J. Smith (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia Michael J. Smith lead section infobox, selection field (w-bbfill-edspace5-0927)View the Source 3. Michael J. Smith - Wikipedia
Wikipedia biography
Michael John Smith (April 30, 1945 - January 28, 1986) was an American engineer and astronaut.
Wikipedia biography [nationality]
was an American engineer and astronaut
View the SourceWikidata: Michael J. Smith
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