David M. BrownStatus: Lost In Flight 4/16/1956 – 2/1/2003 Nationality: American Type: Government First Flight: 1/16/2003 Last Flight: 1/16/2003David McDowell Brown was a United States Navy captain and a NASA astronaut. He died on his first spaceflight, when the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) disintegrated during orbital reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Brown became an astronaut in 1996, but had not served on a space mission prior to the Columbia disaster. Brown was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.LaunchesSpace Shuttle Columbia / OV-102 | STS-107National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationType: Government Abbreviation: NASA Administration: Administrator: Bill Nelson Founded: 1958 Launchers: Space Shuttle | SLS Spacecraft: Orion Country: USAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.