Profiles of the Columbia Astronauts On February 1, 2003, the
space shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it tried to reenter the
Earth's atmosphere after a sixteen-day mission in space. All
seven members of the crew were lost. The mission was focused on
a broad range of science experiments. The remarkable crew—six
Americans, one Israeli; three seasoned astronauts, four on their
first space flight; an African-American and the first Indian-
American astronaut, scientists, surgeons, a fighter pilot—are
profiled below. Michael P. Anderson Lt. Colonel, U.S. Air Force
Birthplace: Plattsburgh, New York Lieutenant Colonel Michael
Anderson grew up in a military family. In 1971 he moved from
Plattsburgh, New York, to Spokane, Washington, when his father
was assigned to the Fairchild Air Force Base. After graduating
from college, Anderson became a commissioned officer in the
United States Air Force where he logged over 3,000 hours as a
pilot. Chosen by NASA to enter its astronaut training program in
1994, Anderson trained to