ASTRONAUT

Michael J. Smith

1945 - 1986

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Michael John Smith (April 30, 1945 – January 28, 1986), (Capt USN) was an American engineer and astronaut. He served as the pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission, breaking up 73 seconds into the flight, and at an altitude of 48,000 feet (14.6 km), killing all seven crew members. Smith's voice was the last one heard on the Challenger voice recorder. During his Naval career, Smith flew 28 different types of civilian and military aircraft and logged 4,867 hours of flying time. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Michael J. Smith is the 15th most popular astronaut (up from 71st in 2019), the 808th most popular biography from United States (up from 3,081st in 2019) and the 10th most popular American Astronaut.

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Among ASTRONAUTS

Among astronauts, Michael J. Smith ranks 15 out of 556. Before him are William Anders, Buzz Aldrin, Ed White, Vladimir Komarov, Thomas P. Stafford, and Ronald Evans. After him are Alexei Leonov, Richard F. Gordon Jr., Alan Shepard, Gherman Titov, Robert Crippen, and Dennis Tito.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1945, Michael J. Smith ranks 55. Before him are Alan Ball Jr., Douglas Osheroff, George Smoot, Keith Jarrett, Vinko Puljić, and Jean Nouvel. After him are Slobodan Praljak, Jacky Ickx, Yochanan Vollach, Neil Young, José Feliciano, and Richard R. Schrock. Among people deceased in 1986, Michael J. Smith ranks 23. Before him are Cliff Burton, Joseph Beuys, Albert Szent-Györgyi, Alva Myrdal, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Henry Moore. After him are Leonid Kantorovich, Georges Dumézil, Celâl Bayar, Jaroslav Seifert, Harold Macmillan, and Fritz Albert Lipmann.

Others Born in 1945

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Others Deceased in 1986

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Michael J. Smith ranks 808 out of 20,380. Before him are Larry Hagman (1931), Nancy Sinatra (1940), Steven Weinberg (1933), Anna Politkovskaya (1958), Jean Kennedy Smith (1928), and Patricia Highsmith (1921). After him are George Peppard (1928), Andrew Mellon (1855), Immanuel Wallerstein (1930), Quincy Jones (1933), William Sadler (1950), and Dennis Ritchie (1941).

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Among ASTRONAUTS In United States

Among astronauts born in United States, Michael J. Smith ranks 10. Before him are Pete Conrad (1930), John Young (1930), Buzz Aldrin (1930), Ed White (1930), Thomas P. Stafford (1930), and Ronald Evans (1933). After him are Richard F. Gordon Jr. (1929), Alan Shepard (1923), Robert Crippen (1937), Dennis Tito (1940), William R. Pogue (1930), and Anna Lee Fisher (1949).

American born Astronauts

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