May 25, 2001
Kyle Herring
Eileen Hawley

Release: J01-056

Astronaut Patricia Hilliard Robertson Dies

NASA Astronaut Patricia Hilliard Robertson died Thursday night as a result of injuries obtained in the crash of a private plane Tuesday afternoon. Immediately following the accident, Robertson was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital in downtown Houston where she remained in critical condition until her death.

Robertson was a member of the Astronaut class of 1998 and was assigned as a Crew Support Astronaut for the Expedition Two crew presently on board the International Space Station. In that role, she served as an interface between the Mission Control Center Flight Control Team and the Astronaut Office on issues related to the Expedition Two crew and, along with other astronauts, coordinated activities on the ground for the three crewmembers in space.

She joined NASA's Flight Medicine Clinic at the Johnson Space Center in 1997 prior to being selected to be an astronaut. In addition to being a medical doctor, Robertson was a multiengine rated flight instructor with more than 1,500 hours of flight time.

Flags at the Johnson Space Center will be flown at half-staff today in her honor.

The family plans to hold a private memorial service. Final funeral arrangements are pending.

For more biographical details on Robertson and other astronauts, visit the following website: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

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