Stephen D. Thorne
From The Space Library
 Stephen D. Thorne | |
| Birth Name | Stephen D. Thorne |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | Feb 11 1953 |
| Occupation | NASA Astronaut (Deceased), (Lieutenant Commander, USN) |
Contents |
Personal Data
Born February 11, 1953, in Frankfurt-on-Main, West Germany. Died May 24, 1986. He is survived by his wife, Sue. He enjoyed baseball, running, reading, and general aviation.
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.
Experience
Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, 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 deployed to the Western Pacific aboard the USS Ranger. After training at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1981, Thorne spent the next two years at Strike Aircraft Test at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, flying mostly ordnance 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 USS Coral Sea until departing for NASA. He accumulated over 2,500 hours and 200 carrier landings in approximately 30 different types of aircraft.
Spaceflight Experience
NASA EXPERIENCE: Thorne was selected as an astronaut by NASA in June 1985 and, in August, commenced a one-year training and evaluation program to qualify him for subsequent assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flightcrews.
Organizations
Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Life member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association.
Special Honours
Received Navy Commendation Medal in January 1986.
Other Information
Lieutenant Commander Thorne was killed in an aircraft accident, in which he was a passenger, on May 24, 1986.
Nov-86
