Alabama 811 | Know What's Below.

On This Day In Alabama History: Columbia Launched With AU Grad

| October 20, 2018 @ 5:00 am

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

The Space Shuttle Columbia launched its fourth and final mission with astronaut and nuclear physicist Kathryn Thornton aboard on Oct. 20, 1995. The Montgomery native and Auburn University graduate was an astronaut from 1985 until 1996, logging nearly 1,000 hours in space. She helped upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope, tested systems for the International Space Station and launched and repaired satellites. One of 17 astronauts selected from more than 5,000 applicants, Thornton’s first space flight was aboard Discovery in 1989. She flew on the maiden voyage of Endeavour in 1992 and on its third mission in 1993. She was part of a 16-day mission aboard Columbia. Thornton was later on the task force that studied the January 2003 explosion of Columbia and she offered recommendations to prevent future disasters.

Please visit Alabama News Center for the read the full article.

Tags:

Category: ALL POSTS, Partner News Stories

About the Author ()

Alabama News Center tels the stories of the people and businesses powering the states of Alabama, striving to make Alabama a wonderful place to live and work.

Comments are closed.