Stephen Thorne

Stephen Douglas Thorne (1953-1986) was an American Naval officer and a NASA astronaut candidate. He was born on February 11, 1953, in Frankfurt, Germany, and graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1975. He was a Navy fighter pilot from 1976 until he became a test pilot in 1981. He was accepted for NASA astronaut training in June 1985, but died in an airplane accident where he was a passenger on May 24, 1986. He was survived by his wife, Sue. His ... more

Stephen Douglas Thorne (1953-1986) was an American Naval officer and a NASA astronaut candidate. He was born on February 11, 1953, in Frankfurt, Germany, and graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1975. He was a Navy fighter pilot from 1976 until he became a test pilot in 1981. He was accepted for NASA astronaut training in June 1985, but died in an airplane accident where he was a passenger on May 24, 1986. He was survived by his wife, Sue. His interests included baseball, running, reading, and general aviation. He graduated from T.L. Hanna High School, Anderson, South Carolina, in 1971 and received a bachelor of science degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1975. Received Navy Commendation Medal in January 1986. 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.... less