About Michael P. Anderson
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. Anderson served as the payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. == Early life and education == Michael Philip Anderson was born in Plattsburgh, New York on December 25, 1959, to Barbara and Bobbie Anderson. He was their third child and only son. Bobbie serviced jets at Plattsburgh Air Force Base in Plattsburgh and was transferred to Fairchild Air Force Base, about 12 miles (19 km) away from Spokane, Washington, which Anderson spoke of as his hometown. Anderson graduated from Cheney High School in Cheney, Washington, one of four African Americans in a class of 200 students. In 1981, Anderson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1990, he earned a Master of Science degree in physics from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.