David M. Brown

David Brown
Brown in September 2001
Born
David McDowell Brown

(1956-04-16)April 16, 1956
DiedFebruary 1, 2003(2003-02-01) (aged 46)
Over Texas, U.S.
Cause of deathSpace Shuttle Columbia disaster
EducationCollege of William & Mary (BS)
Eastern Virginia Medical School (MD)
Awards
Space career
NASA astronaut
RankCaptain, USN
Time in space
15d 22h 20m
SelectionNASA Group 16 (1996)
MissionsSTS-107
Mission insignia

David McDowell Brown (April 16, 1956 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Navy captain and NASA astronaut. He died on his first spaceflight, when the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) disintegrated during orbital reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Brown became an astronaut in 1996 but had not served on a space mission prior to the Columbia disaster. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.