David Brown

U.S. Navy Capt. David Brown was born April 16, 1956, in Arlington, Va. While growing up he didn't have a specific dream of becoming an astronaut. Although he thought that being an astronaut would be a good job, he didn't think it was possible.

"I was a little bit late for Mercury, but I remember Gemini and Apollo quite well in the Sixties, and then Skylab and early shuttle," he said in a preflight interview. "But I absolutely couldn't identify with the people who were astronauts. I thought they were movie stars. And I just thought I was kind of a normal kid. And so I couldn't see a path how a normal kid could ever get to be one of these people that I just couldn't identify with. And so, while I would've said, 'Hey, this is like the coolest thing you could possibly do,' it really wasn't something that I ever thought that I would end up doing."



However, he did have an interest in science and flying that would eventually lead him on a path to becoming an astronaut. It was later in life that his idea about becoming an astronaut would change.

"And, it was really kind of much later in life after I'd been in medical school, I'd gone on to become a Navy pilot, that I really thought, 'Well, maybe I would have some skills and background that NASA might be interested in,'" Brown said. "And then I went ahead and applied. So, I think growing up I really underestimated myself. And I was really a bit wrong about things that I could do, and I'm glad I figured out kind of later in life that if I wanted to pursue that, that I could."

Brown graduated from Arlington's Yorktown High School in 1974 and then went to college at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. While at William and Mary, Brown was a member of the Tribe's varsity gymnastics team. He said his gymnastics coach had an influence that helped him later in life.


STS-107 was the first space flight for Mission Specialist David Brown, who joined the astronaut corps in 1996. The Navy captain was a flight surgeon and naval aviator. This feature video was produced before STS-107 launched on Jan. 16, 2003.





"He was a fellow that really took, actually did -- and still does -- take a very long-term view of what athletics and education are all about. And, he's just been investing in people in that program ever since," Brown said. "When I look back now, and I think I understand a little more what he was doing now than at the time, he invests in people and gives a lot of his time and attention. He certainly did to me. I learned a lot about what it's to be, what it's like to be on a team. What you need to know to be on a team. About setting personal goals. And about [having the] daily discipline to get to those goals."

Brown also used his athletic talents during college to work as an acrobat, 7-foot unicyclist and stilt walker for Circus Kingdom.

After graduating from William and Mary with a bachelor's degree in biology, he went to Eastern Virginia Medical School, where he earned a doctorate in medicine in 1982. He performed his internship in South Carolina and went to the U.S. Navy flight surgeon school in 1984.

In 1988, Brown became the only flight surgeon to be selected for pilot training in a 10-year period. He completed his training and became a naval aviator in 1990, ranking first in his class. He logged 1,700 hours of flight time in high-performance military aircraft during his stint with the Navy. He said that being a pilot and doctor was beneficial for him.

"As a physician and as a pilot, I think it lets me be a pretty good translator, having one foot in the medical world and one foot in the flying world," he said. "Sometimes when the medical guys come in and speak medical stuff to the pilots, the pilots really don't know what they're saying. And vice versa."

In 1996, his talents took him to NASA when he was selected as an astronaut candidate. Brown became qualified as a pilot for NASA's T-38 aircraft.

In a preflight interview, Brown said that as an astronaut, he hoped to help in the advancement of science. "Whatever I can do to contribute to science, to improve science, I think is really great," he said.

His first space flight was on Space Shuttle Columbia as a mission specialist during STS-107, an extended-duration mission devoted to scientific research. The STS-107 crew conducted more than 80 experiments during its stay in space.

Brown and his six crewmates perished over Texas on Feb. 1 as Columbia was re-entering Earth's atmosphere. Columbia was about 16 minutes from landing in Florida. Brown spent 15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes in space.

Astronaut Office Chief Kent Rominger said that Brown was known as "Doc" to friends and that he loved to take pictures and had a great sense of humor.

"Doc also loved cameras and always had a camera with him," Rominger said, "riding out to the pad I've never seen anybody as intense at making sure he filmed every bit of what was going on with his crew as Doc. Usually when he was filming folks, he would tell them, 'Just act like a little brown squirrel.'

"He also had a keen sense of humor and after one demanding simulator run, turned to [Flight Engineer Kalpana Chawla] and asked, 'May I borrow your brain?' This comment illustrates his humility, because it was well known in the Astronaut Office that he was extremely capable."

President George W. Bush summed up Brown's achievements and life during a memorial service at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 4, 2003.

"David Brown was first drawn to the stars as a little boy with a telescope in his backyard," Bush said. "He admired astronauts, but as he said, 'I thought they were movie stars. I thought I was kind of a normal kid.' David grew up to be a physician, an aviator who could land on the deck of a carrier in the middle of the night, and a shuttle astronaut.

"His brother asked him several weeks ago what would happen if something went wrong on their mission," Bush continued. "David replied, 'This program will go on.'"

Mccool

Before U.S. Navy Commander William McCool began his 16-day scientific mission, he explained what was most important about the work he would be doing in space.

"Most of what we're doing is enabling technology for the future," he said. "And the folks who are going to use that technology and then continue the wheels turning are the children today. There's no greater experience, at least in my career thus far, than to see the excitement and the eyes light up when you talk to kids about experiments."



McCool was born in San Diego, Calif., in 1961. After graduating from Coronado High School, Lubbock, Texas, in 1979, McCool went to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. He graduated in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in applied science, and then, went on to earn a master's degree in computer science in 1985 from the University of Maryland, and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1992.

In 1986, McCool began his flying career with the Navy. He flew 24 different aircraft, including the EA-6B Prowler, and had more than 400 carrier landings. He became a test pilot in 1992. The pilot served on two aircraft carriers, the USS Coral Sea and the USS Enterprise, and had more than 2,800 hours of flight time.

McCool became an astronaut candidate and reported to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in 1996. McCool said his experiences in the Navy helped with his transition to NASA.

"We operate as a crew in the same way as we did back in my Navy days in the EA-6B Prowler," he said. "The Astronaut Office, the folks here at JSC, operate in the same fashion that we had learned to operate as a team within the squadron and within the air wing. So I think [they] dovetail quite well."


STS-107 was the first space flight for Pilot William McCool, who joined the astronaut corps in 1996. This feature video was produced before STS-107 launched on Jan. 16, 2003.


While at NASA, McCool gained the respect of his peers. According to Astronaut Office Chief Kent Rominger, McCool was a talented astronaut and was known for his respect for others.

"Willie was incredibly humble, with exceptional talents," Rominger said. "He was especially gifted at quickly learning and mastering technical information, but was also known for his tremendous consideration for others. He enjoyed surprising people with flowers and Hawaiian leis."

McCool's first flight was STS-107 -- a mission that featured more than 80 experiments. McCool, who served as pilot, and his six crewmates perished as Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas while re-entering Earth's atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003. He spent 15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes in space.

In his life outside of NASA, McCool enjoyed spending time outdoors with his wife and sons. "My most enjoyable experience is: I really can't pinpoint one," he said. "But I can kind of say as a category my most enjoyable experiences are going out with my wife and my boys back-country backpacking in the Olympic Mountains or … the canyon lands in Utah and just enjoying life without outside distractions. And enjoying each other, and enjoying the environment. And we love to do that frequently, whenever we can."

During a memorial service held at Johnson Space Center, Texas, President George W. Bush described McCool as dependable and respected by his friends. "The Columbia's pilot was Cmdr. Willie McCool whom friends knew as the most steady and dependable of men," Bush said. "In Lubbock today they're thinking back to the Eagle Scout who became a distinguished naval officer and a fearless test pilot. One friend remembers Willie this way, 'He was blessed. And we were blessed to know him.'"

Near the end of his flight, on Jan. 29, 2003, McCool and some of his crewmates were awakened by John Lennon's classic song "Imagine." He had these words about the unique view of Earth that he and his crewmates had from Columbia and their hopes for humanity: "From our orbital vantage point, we observe an Earth without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence, and we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless world as we see it, and strive to live as one in peace."

Rick Husband

U.S. Air Force Col. Rick Husband's childhood dream was to become an astronaut. He said that the early human space flight programs -- Mercury, Gemini and Apollo -- made an impression on him. "…watching the Moon landings and everything," he said, "it was just so incredibly adventurous and exciting to me that I just thought, 'There is no doubt in my mind that that's what I want to do when I grow up.'"

The Amarillo, Texas, native was born in 1957. Growing up in West Texas he developed an interest in flying. "I'd be out in my backyard playing," he said in a preflight crew interview. "And, any time I heard any kind of an airplane, you know, it's like, stop what you're doing and take a look and see, 'Where's that airplane? What kind is it? Where is it going? How high is it? How fast is it going?'"



After graduating from Amarillo High School in 1975, Husband went to Texas Tech University where he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1980. He was a member of the school's Air Force ROTC, which culminated with a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force.

Remembering Apollo 1 and Challenger
On Jan. 28, 2003, STS-107 Commander Rick Husband and his crew took a moment to remember the crews of Apollo 1 and Space Shuttle Challenger. The Apollo 1 crew died in a fire on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Jan. 27, 1967. The crew of STS-51L was lost on Jan. 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff.
While at Texas Tech, he sent a letter to NASA asking about requirements to become an astronaut. "I got a package back, and it told about the pilots and the mission specialists and the requirements that were necessary," he said. "And so, that kind of laid the pathway for what I needed to do if I wanted to be a pilot-astronaut."

During his tenure in the Air Force, Husband logged more than 3,800 hours of flight time in more than 40 different types of aircraft and served as a flight instructor and a test pilot. He also earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering in 1990 from California State University, Fresno.

After applying four times and being interviewed twice, NASA selected Husband as an astronaut candidate in December 1994. He reported to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in March 1995.

"And so, it was the achievement of a lifelong dream and a goal," he said. "And, it's very humbling, I'd say, and exciting at the same time to be able to actually go and do the kind of thing that I'd wanted to do and the thing that I had looked forward to doing for such a long time."

His first space flight occurred in May and June 1999 when he served as pilot for the 10-day STS-96 mission. That was the first time that a space shuttle docked with the International Space Station.

Husband was commander of his second trip to space, STS-107 -- a mission devoted to research. The seven-member STS-107 crew conducted more than 80 experiments during its 16 days in space.


STS-107 was the second trip to space for Commander Rick Husband, who had previously piloted the first shuttle mission to dock with the International Space Station. This feature video was produced before STS-107 launched on Jan. 16, 2003.


Husband and the STS-107 crew died on Feb. 1, 2003, over north central Texas during Space Shuttle Columbia's re-entry. Columbia was only about 16 minutes away from landing in Florida.

Husband was respected by his peers in the astronaut corps. Astronaut Office Chief Kent Rominger was the commander of Husband's first mission. During a memorial ceremony at Johnson Space Center on Feb. 4, 2003, he said that Husband was a great leader.

"Rick was a terrific human being and a great leader," Rominger said. "... He molded seven individuals from different parts of the world with diverse backgrounds, various religious beliefs, into an incredibly tight-knit and productive family."

In his life outside of NASA, Husband was known for his love for his family and his religious faith. He leaves behind his wife and two children. Prior to STS-107 he was asked in an interview what was the most memorable experience outside of his astronaut career.

"Well, I think apart from NASA," Husband said, "the most enjoyable part of my life has been my time with my family."

One of Husband's hobbies was singing. He sang most of his life: beginning as member in the church choir as a kid, to singing in the Texas Tech choir and as a member of the choir in his church in the Houston area.

President George W. Bush best summed up Husband's life during the memorial service.

"Rick Husband was a boy of four when he first thought of being an astronaut," Bush said. "As a man and having become an astronaut, he found it was even more important to love his family and serve his Lord."