Michael P. Anderson (LIEUTENANT COLONEL, USAF)
NASA ASTRONAUT
December 25, 1959- February 1, 2003
Killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
He graduated from Cheney High School in Cheney, Washington, in 1977. Bachelor of science degree in
physics/astronomy from the University of Washington, 1981. Master of Science degree in physics from Creighton
University, 1990.
Mission served on
STS-89 (January 22, 1998)
STS-107 (January 16, 2003
PERSONAL DATA: Born December 25, 1959, in Plattsburgh, New York, but considered Spokane, Washington, to be his hometown. Died on February 1, 2003, over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to the scheduled landing. He is survived by his wife and children. Michael enjoyed photography, chess, computers, and tennis.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Cheney High School in Cheney, Washington, in 1977. Bachelor of Science degree in physics/astronomy from the University of Washington, 1981. Master of Science degree in physics from Creighton University, 1990.
SPECIAL HONORS: Distinguished graduate of USAF Communication Electronics Officers course. Recipient of the Armed Forces Communication Electronics Associations Academic Excellence Award 1983. Received the USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training Academic Achievement Award for Class 87-08 Vance AFB. Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the USAF Meritorious Service Medal, and the USAF Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster.
EXPERIENCE: Anderson graduated form the University of Washington in 1981 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. After completing a year of technical training at Keesler AFB Mississippi he was assigned to Randolph AFB Texas. At Randolph, he served as Chief of Communication Maintenance for the 2015 Communication Squadron and later as Director of Information System Maintenance for the 1920 Information System Group. In 1986 he was selected to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma. Upon graduation he was assigned to the 2nd Airborne Command and Control Squadron, Offutt AFB Nebraska as an EC 135 pilot, flying the Strategic Air Command airborne command post code-named “Looking Glass”. From January 1991 to September 1992, he served as an aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the 920th Air Refueling Squadron, Wurtsmith AFB Michigan. From September 1992 to February 1995 he was assigned as an instructor pilot and tactics officer in the 380 Air Refueling Wing, Plattsburgh AFB New York. Anderson has logged over 3000 hours in various models of the KC-135 and the T-38A aircraft.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in December 1994, Anderson reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He completed a year of training and evaluation and is qualified for flight crew assignment as a mission specialist. Anderson was initially assigned technical duties in the Flight Support Branch of the Astronaut Office. Most recently, he flew on the crew of STS-89. In completing his first space flight Anderson has logged over 211 hours in space. Anderson is assigned to the crew of STS-107 scheduled to launch in 2003.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-89 Endeavour (January 22-31, 1998), was the eighth Shuttle-Mir docking mission during which the crew transferred more than 9,000 pounds of scientific equipment, logistical hardware, and water from the Space Shuttle to Mir. In the fifth and last exchange of a U.S. astronaut, STS-89 delivered Andy Thomas to Mir and returned with David Wolf. The mission duration was 8 days, 19 hours, and 47 seconds, traveling 3.6 million miles in 138 orbits of the Earth.
STS-107 Columbia (January 16 to February 1, 2003). The 16-day flight was a dedicated science and research mission. Working 24 hours a day, in two alternating shifts, the crew successfully conducted approximately 80 experiments. The STS-107 mission ended abruptly on February 1, 2003, when Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew perished during entry, 16 minutes before the scheduled landing.
Anderson was survived by his wife, Sandra Hawkins, and two daughters, Kaycee and Sydney. He was also survived by his parents and three sisters.
Anderson and his family lived in Houston at the time of his death, where they attended Grace Community Church. Anderson sang tenor in the church’s choir
AWARDS:
Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA
Space Flight Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Defense
Distinguished Service Medal (DDSM).
Legacy:
State Route 904, running through Cheney, Washington, where he graduated from high school, was renamed in his memory.
The science and math wing of Cheney High School is dedicated to his memory.
Asteroid 51824 Mike Anderson was posthumously named after Anderson.
Anderson Hall, in the Columbia Village apartments at the Florida Institute of Technology, is named after him.
Anderson Plaza, the green space in front of the Hixson-Lied Science Center at Creighton University was named after him in a compromise between the student body, who wanted the Science Center named for Anderson, and the administration who had already sold the naming rights to the Hixson-Lied family.
Blair Elementary School on Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington was renamed Michael Anderson Elementary School in January 2004. Anderson attended the school as a fifth-grader.
Avondale Elementary School in Avondale, Arizona was renamed Michael Anderson Elementary in his honor. He attended school there when he was in 3rd grade, and one of the school T-shirts was aboard the Columbia on its last voyage.
In 2003 he was inducted into the International Forest of Friendship, in Atchison, KS as part of a memorial to the Columbia astronauts.
Anderson Park in Canton, Mississippi was dedicated in June 2004.
An outdoor bronze statue of Anderson was unveiled in Spokane in June 2005. Larger-than-life, it was created by local artist Dorothy Fowler and shows Anderson kneeling with his helmet in one hand and a dove in the other.
A duplicate statue was dedicated at the Museum of Flight in Seattle in June 2009 and the museum launched an aerospace program in his honor.
An outdoor mural in the city of Plattsburgh was unveiled in October 2020 honoring Michael P. Anderson. On July 4, 2021, the city of Plattsburgh held a dedication for the mural, where the Anderson family was given a key to the city and led the annual Independence Day parade.
Lunar crater M. Anderson is named after him.
The Creighton University Physics Department, from which he received his master’s degree, maintains a statue and physics scholarship in his honor.
Resource:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas 7705