Editing David M. Brown

{{Short description|American astronaut (1956–2003)}}
{{Other people|David Brown}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name = David Brown
| image = David M. Brown, NASA photo portrait in orange suit.jpg
| caption = Brown in September 2001
| birth_name = David McDowell Brown
| birth_date = {{birth date|1956|4|16}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|2|1|1956|4|16}}
| birth_place = [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington, Virginia]], U.S.
| death_place = Over [[Texas]], U.S.
| death_cause = [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster]]
| education = [[College of William & Mary]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[Eastern Virginia Medical School]] ([[Doctor of Medicine|MD]])
| awards = {{ubl|[[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]}}
| type = [[NASA astronaut]]
| rank = [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]], [[United States Navy|USN]]
| time = 15d 22h 20m
| selection = [[NASA Astronaut Group 16|NASA Group 16 (1996)]]
| mission = [[STS-107]]
| insignia = [[File:STS-107 Flight Insignia.svg|30px]]
}}
'''David McDowell Brown''' (April 16, 1956 – February 1, 2003) was a [[United States Navy]] [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]] and [[NASA astronaut]]. He died on his first [[spaceflight]], when the [[Space Shuttle Columbia|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 [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|'' Columbia'' disaster]]. He was posthumously awarded the [[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/brown_david_0.pdf|publisher=NASA|access-date=2024-02-06|date=2004-05-01|title=NASA Biographical Data}}</ref>

==Education==
* Graduated from McKinley Elementary, [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington, Virginia]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Kim |date=2023-08-01 |title=Beyond the Beautiful Earth - Arlington Astronaut David M. Brown |url=https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/astronaut-david-m-brown/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Arlington Magazine}}</ref>
* Graduated from Swanson Middle, Arlington, Virginia<ref name=":0" />
* 1974: Graduated from [[Yorktown High School (Virginia)|Yorktown High School]], Arlington, Virginia<ref name=":0" />
* 1978: Received bachelor of science degree in [[biology]] from the [[College of William & Mary]]
* 1982: Received a doctorate in medicine from [[Eastern Virginia Medical School]]

==Organizations==
* Active in the [[Boy Scouts of America]], where Brown achieved its second-highest rank, [[Life Scout]].
* Past President, International Association of Military Flight Surgeon Pilots
* Associate Fellow, [[Aerospace Medical Association]]
* Society of U.S. Naval Flight Surgeons.

==Military career==
Brown joined the [[U.S. Navy]] after his internship at the [[Medical University of South Carolina]]. Upon completion of [[flight surgeon]] training in 1984, Brown reported to the Navy Branch Hospital in [[Adak, Alaska]], as Director of Medical Services.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673603126049.pdf|publisher=The Lancet|access-date=2024-02-06|date=2003-02-22|title=Obituaries}}</ref> He was then assigned to [[Carrier Air Wing Fifteen]] which deployed aboard the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Carl Vinson|CVN-70|6}} in the Western Pacific. In 1988, Brown became the only flight surgeon in a 10-year period to be chosen for pilot training. He was ultimately designated a [[Naval Aviator]] in 1990 at [[NAS Chase Field]] in [[Beeville, Texas]], ranking number one in his class. Brown was then sent for training and carrier qualification in the [[A-6 Intruder|A-6E Intruder]]. In 1991, he reported to the Naval Strike Warfare Center at [[NAS Fallon]], [[Nevada]], serving as a Strike Leader Attack Training Syllabus Instructor and a Contingency Cell Planning Officer. Brown was also qualified in the [[F/A-18 Hornet]] and deployed from Japan in 1992 aboard {{USS|Independence|CV-62|6}} flying the A-6E with [[VFA-115|VA-115]]. In 1995, he reported to the [[U.S. Naval Test Pilot School]] at [[NAS Patuxent River]], Maryland as their flight surgeon, where Brown also flew the [[T-38 Talon]].

Brown logged over 2,700 flight hours with 1,700 in high-performance military aircraft. He was qualified as the first pilot in NASA T-38 aircraft and held a [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) issued Technician Class [[amateur radio license]] with the [[call sign]] KC5ZTC.

==NASA career==
Selected by [[NASA]] in April 1996, Brown reported to the [[Johnson Space Center]] in August 1996. He completed two years of training and evaluation and was qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Brown was initially assigned to support payload development for the [[International Space Station]], followed by the astronaut support team responsible for orbiter cockpit setup, crew strap-in, and landing recovery.

On April 21, 2001, Brown appeared on [[ESPN]] as an expert on [[g-force]] loading on the human body that led to the cancellation of the [[Firestone Firehawk 600]] [[Champ Car|CART]] race.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 21, 2011 |title=2001 CART Firestone Firehawk 600k |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVyfgh3TVCM&NR=1&t=17m28s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403001735/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVyfgh3TVCM&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=2014-04-03 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

Brown flew aboard [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'']] on [[STS-107]], logging 15 days, 22 hours, and 20 minutes in space from January 16 to February 1, 2003. The flight was a dedicated science and research mission. Working 24 hours a day, in two alternating shifts, the crew successfully conducted approximately 80 experiments. On February 1, 2003, all seven members ''Columbia'''s crew perished during reentry, 16 minutes before the scheduled landing.

==Personal life==
[[File: US Navy 030312-N-2147L-001 U.S. Navy Capt. David M. Brown, NASA Astronaut laid to rest.jpg|thumb|Brown's funeral services at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on March 12, 2003]]
The only unmarried member of the STS-107 crew, Brown had previously been romantically involved with NASA engineer Ann Micklos. The couple ended their relationship shortly before the mission and remained close friends until his death.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kershaw |first=Sarah |date=February 16, 2003 |title=LOSS OF THE SHUTTLE: THE MOOD; In Shuttle Disaster, Families Lost More Than Mere Heroes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/16/us/loss-shuttle-mood-shuttle-disaster-families-lost-more-than-mere-heroes.html |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The crew of STS-107 had formed a close friendship during their training, and Brown had been preparing a video to commemorate this once they returned from the mission. He is buried in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carandang |first=Teresa |date=2018-06-26 |title='Losing the Dark' in Arlington |url=http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2018/jun/26/losing-dark-arlington/ |access-date=2020-07-28 |website=www.connectionnewspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgVicm93bhIFZGF2aWQaAW0-/ | website = ANC Explorer | title = Burial detail: Brown, David M | accessdate = January 31, 2023 }}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
Brown, the 1986 recipient of the Navy Operational Flight Surgeon of the Year award, received numerous decorations including:

===Qualification insignia===
*[[United States Aviator Badge|Naval Aviator]]
*[[Astronaut Badge|Naval Astronaut]]
*[[Flight Surgeon Badge (United States)|Naval Flight Surgeon]]

===Personal decorations===
*[[Defense Distinguished Service Medal]] <sup>†</sup>
*[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]
*[[Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal]]
*[[National Defense Service Medal]]
*[[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]] <sup>†</sup>
*[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] <sup>†</sup>
*[[NASA Space Flight Medal]] <sup>†</sup>

The <sup>†</sup> symbol indicates a posthumous award.

==Tributes==
[[File: David M. Brown Planetarium, Arlington, Virginia .jpg|thumb|The David M. Brown Planetarium in Arlington County, Virginia]]
* Asteroid [[51825 Davidbrown]] was named in honor of Brown.
* Lunar crater D. Brown is named after Brown.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14138;jsessionid=A4F2327CC8C20DE8761D901C733C4487?__fsk=569412925 | title = Lunar crater D. Brown | publisher = [[IAU]] | access-date = 16 June 2021}}</ref>
* Brown Hall, in the Columbia Village apartments, at the [[Florida Institute of Technology]] is named after him.
* He is the first person to be posthumously awarded the William & Mary Alumni Association's Alumni Medal.
* The Laurel B. Clark and David M. Brown Aerospace Medicine Academic Center, located at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, is named after him.
* The Captain David Brown Aerospace and Medical Research Endowment was established in his memory to help deserving students attending Eastern Virginia Medical School.
* The planetarium of [[Arlington Public Schools]], from which Brown graduated, was renamed the [[Arlington Public Schools#Special facilities|David M. Brown Planetarium]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apsva.us/1540108291847373/site/default.asp |title=David M. Brown Planetarium |publisher=Arlington Public Schools |access-date=April 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105150047/http://www.apsva.us/1540108291847373/site/default.asp |archive-date=January 5, 2011 }}</ref>
* The Dave Brown Memorial Park in [[Friendswood, Texas]], is named after him.
* The annual Astronaut Dave Brown Memorial gymnastics meet is held at the [[College of William & Mary]] in his honor, where Dave Brown was a gymnast.
* Yorktown High School Crew Team Men's Varsity 8 boat name Captain David M. Brown - c. 2003
* Circle Oil Hill Elementary of [[Circle USD 375]] in Kansas grants a scholarship each year - David Brown Hopes & Dreams Scholarship. This scholarship was first awarded in 2005.

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[Space science]]
*[[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|David M. Brown}}
*{{IMDb name|4116404}}
*{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/Brown%20Astronaut%20Bio%20Data.htm|title=David M. Brown (Captain, USN)|work=[[NASA]]|date=February 2003|access-date=2019-05-07}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041106132533/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/archives/sts-107/memorial/brown.html David Brown STS-107 Crew Memorial]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110725220708/http://davebrownscholarship.org/ Captain David Brown Aerospace and Medical Research Endowment]
*[http://www.floridatoday.com/columbia/columbiastory2N1029TECH.htm ''Florida Today'' — Florida Tech dedicates dorms to Columbia 7 — October 29, 2003]

{{STS-107}}
{{NASA Astronaut Group 16|state=autocollapse}}
{{Congressional Space Medal of Honor}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, David Macdowell}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle Columbia disaster]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Texas]]
[[Category:Amateur radio people]]
[[Category:American test pilots]]
[[Category:Aviators from Virginia]]
[[Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:College of William & Mary alumni]]
[[Category:Eastern Virginia Medical School alumni]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Physician astronauts]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:United States Naval Aviators]]
[[Category:United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni]]
[[Category:United States Navy astronauts]]
[[Category:United States Navy captains]]
[[Category:United States Navy Medical Corps officers]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of the Gulf War]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]]
[[Category:Yorktown High School (Virginia) alumni]]