| Aircraft
Accidents Theodore Freeman Charles Bassett II Elliot See Clifton Williams, Jr. Robert Lawrence Michael Adams Yuri Gagarin John McKay Stephen Thorne Stanley David Griggs Manley Carter, Jr. Patricia Hilliard Robertson
Apollo 1
Soyuz 11
Challenger STS-51L
Columbia
STS-107 Other |
Born: 11 February 1953 in Frankfurt-on-Main, West Germany. Education: Graduated from T. L. Hanna High School, Anderson, South Carolina in 1971. Received a bachelor of science degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1975. Marital Status: Married the former Sue Lotz. Recreational Interests: Stephen enjoyed baseball, running, reading, and general aviation. Organizations: Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Life member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association. Experience: Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Stephen Thorne entered flight training and received his wings in December 1976. Following training in the F-4 Phantom, he joined Fighter Squadron 21 (VF-21) and was deployed to the Western Pacific aboard the USS Ranger. After training at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1981, he spent the next two years at Strike Aircraft Test at the Naval Air TestCenter, Patuxent River, Maryland, flying mostly ordinance and weapons systems tests in the F-4 and A-7 Corsair II. He completed F-18 Hornet transition training in October 1984 and joined Strike Fighter Squadron 132 (VFA-132) aboard the USS Coral Sea until departing for NASA. He logged over 2,500 hours flying time and 200 carrier landings in approximately 30 differnet types of aircraft. NASA Experience: Stephen Thorne was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June 1985. In August 1985 he began a one year training and evaluation program to qualify for subsequent assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flight crews. Stephen Thorne lost his life in an airplane crash on 24 May 1986. |
