William C. McCool
1961 – 2003

William C. McCool

U.S. Navy Commander, NASA astronaut and the pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia which was destroyed during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere in 2003

military flight engineeraircraft pilotmilitary officerastronaut
Born
1961-09-23, San Diego
Died
2003-02-01
Birthplace state
California

Biography

William C. McCool was born in San Diego, California in 1961 and served as a naval officer, aviator, test pilot, and aeronautical engineer before joining NASA as an astronaut. He piloted Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107. In 2003, McCool and the rest of the STS-107 crew died when Columbia disintegrated during atmospheric reentry. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Occupation

William C. McCool is recorded as a military flight engineer, a aircraft pilot, a military officer and a astronaut, born in California (1961–2003).

Connections to California

William C. McCool was born in San Diego, California in 1961. Explore other notable figures from California, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

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Frequently asked about William C. McCool

Who was William C. McCool?
William C. McCool was U.S. Navy Commander, NASA astronaut and the pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia which was destroyed during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere in 2003, born in California (1961 – 2003).
When and where was William C. McCool born?
William C. McCool was born on 1961-09-23 in San Diego.
When did William C. McCool die?
William died on 2003-02-01.
What was William C. McCool known for?
William C. McCool is recorded as a military flight engineer, a aircraft pilot, a military officer and a astronaut.
Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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