Eleven years ago today, the Space Shuttle Columbia was tragically lost with all hands on reentry.
– Mission Commander Col. Richard “Rick” Husband, USAF, a former fighter and test pilot. He first flew into space on the Discovery on STS-96.
– Mission Pilot CDR William “Willie” McCool, USN, a former attack and test pilot.
– Mission Payload Commander Lt.Col. Michael P. Anderson, USAF, a former EC-135 pilot and flight instructor.
– Mission Payload Specialist: Col. Ilan Ramon, IAF, a former fighter pilot and the first Israeli astronaut.
– Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, an aerospace engineer, the first Indian and Indian-American woman in space. She first flew into space on the Columbia on STS-87.
– Mission Specialist CAPT David M. Brown, USN, a former fighter, attack and test pilot as well as a fully qualified Naval Flight Surgeon.
– Mission Specialist CAPT Laurel Blair Salton Clark, USN, a former Naval Flight Surgeon.
All were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor posthumously.
The Tactical Air Network 