Group 9 (1980)
Michael J. Smith
Challenger’s pilot on his first spaceflight.
Michael J. Smith flew A-6 Intruders from carriers over Vietnam, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, then served as a Navy test pilot instructor before his selection as an astronaut in 1980.
STS-51-L was his first spaceflight. Assigned as pilot, he was 40 years old when Challenger was lost. The Navy posthumously promoted him to captain, and his name marks scholarships and facilities across his home state of North Carolina.