William C. McCool

William Cameron "Willie" McCool (September 23, 1961 – February 1, 2003) (Cmdr, USN) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut.

William C. McCool
William McCool in August 2001
Born	(1961-09-23)September 23, 1961 San Diego, California, U.S.
Died	February 1, 2003(2003-02-01) (aged 41) Over Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	William Cameron McCool
Alma mater	USNA, B.S. 1983 UMCP, M.S. 1985 NPS, M.S. 1992
Awards
Space career
NASA Astronaut
Previous occupation	Naval aviator, test pilot
Rank	Commander, USN
Time in space	15d 22h 20m
Selection	1996 NASA Group 16
Missions	STS-107
Mission insignia

He 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.^[1][2] He was the youngest male member of the crew. McCool was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.