Taking part in the in-flight maintenance training, the STS-107 crew poses in front of the SPACEHAB Double Module.

Rick Husband
(Col. USAF)
Commander

A native of Amarillo, Texas, Rick earned a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University and an M.S. degree in the same discipline from California State University, Fresno. Rick served as the Astronaut Office representative for Advanced Projects and most recently served as Chief of Safety for the Astronaut Office. He served as pilot for STS-96 (1999), a 10-day mission during which the crew performed the first docking with the International Space Station. STS-107 was Rick’s second space shuttle mission and his first as commander.

William C. “Willie” McCool
(Cdr. USN)
Pilot

Willie was born in San Diego, California. He held a B.S. degree in applied science from the U.S. Naval Academy, and an M.S. degree in computer science from the University of Maryland and an M.S. degree aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School. Willie logged over 3,000 hours of flight experience in 24 aircraft and more than 400 carrier arrestments before NASA selected him as an astronaut candidate in 1996. STS-107 was Willie’s first space shuttle mission.

Michael P. Anderson
(Lt. Col. USAF),
Mission Specialist

Mike was born in Plattsburgh, New York, but called Spokane, Washington, home. He received a B.S. degree in physics/astronomy from the University of Washington and an M.S. degree in physics from Creighton University. With over 4,000 hours in various models of the KC-135 and the T-38 aircraft, Mike served as an aircraft commander, an instructor pilot and a tactics officer prior to being selected as an astronaut for NASA in 1994. He flew on STS-89 (1998), the eighth shuttle-Mir docking mission. STS-107 was Mike's second space shuttle mission.

Ilan Ramon
(Col. Israel Air Force),
Payload Specialist

Ilan was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He received a B.S. degree in electronics and computer engineering from the University of Tel Aviv, Israel. He graduated as a fighter pilot from the Israel Air Force Flight School. In 1997, Ilan was selected as a Payload Specialist. He was designated to train for a space shuttle mission carrying an Israeli payload (MEIDEX) that included a multi spectral radiometric camera for recording atmospheric desert aerosols from space. In August 1998, he started basic shuttle training at Johnson Space Center. In August 2000, he was assigned as one of the seven crew members of this flight. STS-107 was Ilan's first space shuttle mission, and he was the first Israeli to fly in space.

Kalpana "K.C." Chawla, Ph.D.
Mission Specialist

K.C. was born and raised in Karnal, India. She received a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, India; an M.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas, Arlington; and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado. In 1988, she started work at the Ames Research Center and was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in December 1994, reporting to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995 as an astronaut candidate in the 15th group of astronauts. K.C. flew as a mission specialist on STS-87 (1997). STS-107 was K.C.'s second space shuttle mission.

David "Dave" Brown, M.D.
(Captain, USN),
Mission Specialist

Dave was born in Arlington, Virginia. He received a B.S. degree in biology from the College of William and Mary and a doctorate in medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Brown joined the Navy and completed flight surgeon training. 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, ranking number one in his class. Dave logged over 2,700 flight hours, with 1,700 hours in high-performance military aircraft, and was qualified as first pilot in NASA T-38 aircraft. NASA selected him as an astronaut candidate in 1996. STS-107 was Dave's first space shuttle mission.