Michael Phillip Anderson (December 25, 1959 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut.

He and his six fellow crew members were killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the craft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

[1] Anderson served as the payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia.

[2] In 1986, Anderson was selected to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

Anderson served as payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia, NASA's oldest shuttle.

[5] On February 1, 2003, the shuttle was returning to Earth after a successful 16-day trip to orbit, where the crew had conducted more than 80 scientific experiments.

[6] Unbeknownst to her crew, the orbiter had suffered critical damage during its launch on January 16, when foam from the fuel tank's insulation fell off and tore a hole in Columbia's left wing.

[7] During re-entry, the hole allowed super-hot atmospheric gases to penetrate the orbiter's wing, leading to its destruction.