| Michael John Smith | |
|---|---|
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Killed during mission |
| Born | April 30, 1945 Beaufort, North Carolina |
| Died | January 28, 1986 (aged 40) Cape Canaveral, Florida |
| Other occupation | Test Pilot |
| Rank | Captain, United States Navy |
| Selection | 1980 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-51-L |
| Mission insignia | |
Michael John Smith (April 30, 1945–January 28, 1986), usually known as Mike Smith, was an American astronaut—pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission. All seven crew members died.
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Smith was born in Beaufort, North Carolina. An airfield there is named for him. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1967 and served as an attack pilot during the Vietnam War, earning numerous decorations for combat including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He continued his career with the Navy after the war, becoming a Navy test pilot; he was promoted posthumously by Congress to the rank of Captain, and has had a Chair named in his honor at the United States Naval Postgraduate School.
Smith was selected for the astronaut program in May 1980; in addition to being pilot on the Challenger, he had been slated to pilot a future shuttle mission which had been scheduled for Fall of 1986.
Smith's voice was the last one heard on the Challenger voice recorder. Just before Mission Control received the last telemetry data, Smith was heard saying, "Uh-oh." The shuttle broke up 73 seconds into the flight, and at an altitude of 48,000 feet (14.6 km).[1]
While analyzing the wreckage, investigators discovered that several electrical system switches on Smith's right-hand panel had been moved from their usual launch positions. Fellow Astronaut Richard Mullane wrote, "These switches were protected with lever locks that required them to be pulled outward against a spring force before they could be moved to a new position." Later tests established that neither force of the explosion nor the impact with the ocean could have moved them, indicating that Smith made the switch changes, presumably in a futile attempt to restore electrical power to the cockpit after the crew cabin detached from the rest of the orbiter.[2]
Michael J. Smith Field is named after Smith in his home town of Beaufort, North Carolina.
Smith was portrayed by Brian Kerwin in the 1990 TV movie Challenger.
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