Michael P. Anderson

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.

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

Occupation

military officer / astronaut / physicist / aircraft pilot

High school

Cheney High School (Washington)

University

University of Washington

Awards & achievements

• 2004 Congressional Space Medal of Honor
• 2003 NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B1%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3%20(%E5%AE%87%E5%AE%99%E9%A3%9B%E8%A1%8C%E5%A3%AB)

Tags

• New York
• military officer
• astronaut
• physicist

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.