Photo: NASA / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Reading about Michael P. Anderson always sits heavy with me. Here was a physicist from Plattsburgh, New York who became a U.S. Air Force officer and NASA astronaut, and on Columbia he served as payload commander, the man in charge of the science the whole mission was built around. Then the shuttle broke apart on re-entry in February 2003 and he and six crewmates were gone. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor came the next year. I think it's important his name stays attached to the work, not just the tragedy. He represents the quiet expertise that makes spaceflight possible, and the real cost of it.
Overview
Michael Phillip Anderson (December 25, 1959 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. He and his six fellow crew members were killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the craft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Anderson served as the payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Michael P. Anderson
- Name (Japanese)
- マイケル・アンダーソン
- Reading
- まいける・あんだーそん
- Born
- December 25, 1959 – February 1, 2003
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Boar
- Origin
- Plattsburgh, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- military officer / astronaut / physicist / aircraft pilot
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Cheney High School (Washington)
- University
- University of Washington
Awards & achievements
- 2004 Congressional Space Medal of Honor
- 2003 NASA Distinguished Service Medal
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Military officer — see all → · Astronaut — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.