William C. McCool

Status: Lost In Flight
9/23/1961 – 2/1/2003
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 1/16/2003
Last Flight: 1/16/2003

William Cameron “Willie” McCool was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut, who was the pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-107. He and the rest of the crew of STS-107 were killed when Columbia disintegrated during re-entry into the atmosphere. He was the youngest male member of the crew. McCool was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.