David M. Brown
David McDowell Brown NASA Astronaut Nationality American Status Deceased Born (1956-04-16)April 16, 1956 Arlington County, Virginia Died February 1, 2003(2003-02-01) (aged 46) Over Texas Previous occupation Test pilot Rank Captain, USN Time in space 15d 22h 20m Selection NASA Astronaut Group 16 (1996) Missions STS-107 Mission insignia David McDowell Brown (April 16, 1956 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Navy captain and a NASA astronaut. He died on his first spaceflight, when the 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 Columbia disaster.