About Me
DAVID M. BROWN (CAPTAIN, USN)
NASA ASTRONAUT
PERSONAL: Born April 16, 1956 in Arlington, Virginia. Single. Died on February 1, 2003 over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing. He is survived by his parents, Paul and Dorothy Brown. David enjoyed flying and bicycle touring. He was a four year collegiate varsity gymnast. While in college he performed in the Circus Kingdom as an acrobat, 7 foot unicyclist and stilt walker.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Yorktown High School, Arlington, Virginia, in 1974; received bachelor of science degree in biology from the College of William and Mary in 1978 and a doctorate in medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1982.
ORGANIZATIONS: Past President, International Association of Military Flight Surgeon Pilots. Associate Fellow, Aerospace Medical Association. Society of U.S. Naval Flight Surgeons.
AWARDS: Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (DDSM).
HONORS:Operational Flight Surgeon of the Year in 1986, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Achievement Medal.
EXPERIENCE: Brown joined the Navy after his internship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Upon completion of flight surgeon training in 1984, he reported to the Navy Branch Hospital in Adak, Alaska, as Director of Medical Services. He was then assigned to Carrier Airwing Fifteen which deployed aboard the USS Carl Vinson in the western Pacific. In 1988, he was the only flight surgeon in a ten year period to be chosen for pilot training. He was ultimately designated a naval aviator in 1990 in Beeville, Texas, ranking number one in his class. Brown was then sent for training and carrier qualification in the A-6E Intruder. In 1991 he reported to the Naval Strike Warfare Center in Fallon, Nevada, where he served as a Strike Leader Attack Training Syllabus Instructor and a Contingency Cell Planning Officer. Additionally, he was qualified in the F-18 Hornet and deployed from Japan in 1992 aboard the USS Independence flying the A-6E with VA-115. In 1995, he reported to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as their flight surgeon where he also flew the T-38 Talon.
Brown logged over 2,700 flight hours with 1,700 in high performance military aircraft. He was qualified as first pilot in NASA T-38 aircraft.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in April 1996, Brown reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. He completed two years of training and evaluation, and was qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. He was initially assigned to support payload development for the International Space Station, followed by the astronaut support team responsible for orbiter cockpit setup, crew strap-in, and landing recovery. Dave Brown flew aboard STS-107, logging 15 days, 22 hours, and 20 minutes in space.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-107 Columbia (January 16 to February 1, 2003). The 16-day flight was a dedicated science and research mission. Working 24 hours a day, in two alternating shifts, the crew successfully conducted approximately 80 experiments. The STS-107 mission ended abruptly on February 1, 2003 when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry, 16 minutes before scheduled landing.
MAY 2004
CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE FOR A VIDEO BIOGRAPHY OF DAVID BROWN
THE FAMILY OF DAVID BROWN ASKED NASA TO ISSUE THIS STATEMENT:
"Thousands of people, including Shuttle debris searchers, NASA personnel, the public, and the accident investigation board helped to determine what happened to the Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew. Together they produced this well-..ed report. We are indebted to all of them. We all benefit from this hindsight.
"NASA contingency planners conceived of an outline for an investigation board and its general membership, and thus set fact-finding off to a fast start. The space planners also foresaw a need for assigning NASA astronauts to assist each family. We are very grateful for their help.
"The crew accepted the risk of space flight, because they believed in their scientific mission. Their scientific work was not in vain. One report estimates the known completion of the Columbia crew's scientific investigations to be 60 to 70 percent.
"The little boy who chased butterflies grew up to be a space explorer. We miss him terribly.
"Hundreds and hundreds of letters of sympathy and support have helped in this time of grief. We thank the writers wholeheartedly.
"Now it is time to study and implement the report, and to resume exploration. As David said of a possible catastrophe, 'The program will go on. It must go on.'"
Paul & Dorothy Brown, parents
Douglas R. Brown, brother
FALLEN CREW'S TALE CONTINUES THROUGH 'THE ASTRONAUT DIARIES'
May 12, 2005
Over the past two years, we've heard a lot about how the shuttle Columbia's seven astronauts died. But how did they live?
That part of the tragic tale is addressed in "Astronaut Diaries," an hourlong ..ary premiering this weekend on the Discovery Science Channel. The show draws heavily on cassette upon cassette of home videos shot by Columbia crew member David Brown, a former circus clown and physician who was on his very first spaceflight.
In addition to his other talents, Brown was a budding filmmaker, and he made it his mission to show the months of training leading up to the Columbia mission in January 2003.
"He wanted to be able to distribute something via the astronauts," Brown's older brother, Doug, told The Washington Post. "When they'd go out to speak, this would be a way for them to have a tape about the training."
After the tragedy, Doug Brown and other members of the astronauts' families, along with expert commentators, helped the Discovery team sharpen the story chronicled in David Brown's hundreds of hours of videos — producing a candid look at seven men and women who first became a team, and ultimately became the heroes of an international tragedy.
The crew's lives and legacies are also the focus of a new book by space reporter Philip Chien, "Columbia: Final Voyage." Chien drew upon his own reporting from before, during and after the star-crossed mission, supplemented by the reminiscences of Doug Brown and other family members. A companion CD-ROM contains more than 1,000 photos, audio and video clips, as well as technical information about the Columbia mission.
"'Columbia: Final Voyage' is a look at the STS-107 mission," Chien said in an e-mail. "Not at the accident, but the mission and the people."
REST IN PEACE DAVE!
