Background
He was born on February 11, 1953, in Frankfurt, West Germany, and graduated from the United States. Naval Academy in 1975.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Stephen Thorne
Edit ProfileEducation
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 United States Naval Academy in 1975.
Career
He was a Navy fighter pilot from 1976 until he became a test pilot in 1981. He was accepted for National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut training in June 1985, but died in an airplane accident where he was a passenger on May 24, 1986. His interests included baseball, running, reading, and general aviation.
Upon graduation from the United States. Naval Academy, Thorne entered flight training and received his aviator 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 United States Ship Ranger. After training at the United States. 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 World War II He completed F-18 Hornet transition training in October 1984 and joined Strike Fighter Squadron 132 (VFA-132) aboard United States Ship Coral Sea until departing for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He accumulated over 2,500 flying hours and 200 carrier landings in approximately 30 different types of aircraft.
Thorne was selected as an astronaut candidate by National Aeronautics and Space Administration 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 flights. Thorne was killed in an aircraft accident of a stunt plane -in which he was a passengeron May 24, 1986.
The stunt plane crashed while performing maneuvers near Santa Fe, Texas, killing Thorne and a National Aeronautics and Space Administration engineer
He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Achievements
Membership
Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Life member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association.
-
Born
-
Died
March 24, 1986 (aged 33) -
Nationality
United States