For other people by this name, see Michael Smith.
Michael John Smith, usually known as Mike Smith (April 30, 1945 – January 28, 1986) was an American astronaut, pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission. All seven crew members died.
Smith was born in Beaufort, North Carolina; an airfield there is named for him. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1967 and served as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, earning numerous decorations for combat including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He continued his career with the Navy after the war, becoming a Navy test pilot; he was promoted posthumously by Congress to the rank of Captain, and has had a Chair named in his honor at the U.S. Navy Postgraduate School. Among his other posthumous awards was the Purple Heart medal.
Smith was selected for the astronaut program in May 1980; in addition to being pilot on the Challenger, he had been slated to pilot a future shuttle mission which had been scheduled for Fall of 1986.
Smith was quite critical of NASA's decision to scrub the scheduled January 26 launch of Challenger due to a forecast of rain. His experience as a pilot naturally led him to study the weather patterns prior to the flight, and a study of the jet stream caused him to be concerned about an approaching cold front over Cape Canaveral. Earlier, he had urged NASA technicians to complete installation of needed spare parts so the shuttle could get off the ground by January 26 at the latest. As it turned out, the expected rain never arrived, and a frustrated Smith told a friend, "You know, you've got people down here making decisions who've never even flown an airplane before."
Smith was portrayed by Brian Kerwin in the 1990 TV movie Challenger.