PHOENIX — Feb. 1 marks the start of Black History Month and 12News is honoring an aviation hero with Arizona ties.
Lieutenant Colonel Michael P. Anderson always dreamed of being an astronaut. He made that dream come true, but sadly, it came to a tragic end when he, along with six others, perished in the Columbia space shuttle disaster on Feb. 1, 2003.
It’s been 21 years since that tragedy and losing him was a deep pain that has now shaped his family. 12News Today in AZ anchor Allison Rodriguez sat down with Brenda Daniely, Anderson’s sister, who said they are always working to keep his memory alive.
Growing up, Anderson was a typical brother to his three sisters, Daniely said.
"He wasn't perfect, that's for sure. You know," she explained. "We fought like everybody else."
But her brother lived an extraordinary life. From a young age, his dream was to fly to the stars. Daniely recalled that Anderson wanted to be an astronaut for as long as she could remember.
Not even his childhood chores would get in the way.
"He was supposed to mow the lawn. He had to put on goggles, and hat, and put rubber bands around his sleeves and around his legs and everything," she said. "And daddy's like 'man, what're you doing? You're supposed to be mowing the grass.' 'Well, if a rock comes up and hits me in the eye, I will not be able to be an astronaut.' Anderson wasn’t even a teen yet but even then, knew his path."
Their father was in the U.S. Air Force, so the whole family moved around a lot. Eventually, they came to call Avondale, Arizona home in the 1960s where Daniely went to kindergarten while Anderson attended 3rd grade. At the time, the school was named Avondale Elementary.
The family eventually moved on out of state, but Anderson continued his pursuit of becoming a pilot. He obtained his bachelor's degree in physics/astronomy and a master’s degree in physics. During that time, he obtained his pilot’s license and became a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force.
Meantime, Daniely and her family found themselves back in Arizona. Now an educator, she decided to go back and teach at the school they had gone to, Avondale Elementary School.
Then, in the mid-90s, came the call that changed everything.
"He says, 'y'all aren't going to believe what just happened' and we're like 'what?' 'I just got accepted to NASA," Daniely recalled.
His first mission in 1998 was aboard the STS-89 Endeavor. It was incredible. Daniely remembered Anderson said there were no words to describe the sight of the aircraft.
And then came the fateful Columbia mission in 2003. Daniely said she remembered the mission had been delayed since 2001, so when it was time to go, Anderson was excited. He was the payload commander, in charge of all the science experiments aboard.
The family went to the Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch on Jan. 16, 2003. Daniely said, at the time, everything seemed to have gone smoothly. They watched Columbia take off on its mission.
She even remembered an email exchange while he was in space, telling her to remind the students at Avondale Elementary School to dream big and work hard. She still has that email to this day.
After 15 days in space, everything on its Feb. 1 return seemed normal.
"We're hearing them talk back and forth with NASA about what's going on and then all of a sudden they're like 'Columbia?'…And Columbia didn't respond," Daniely said.
Something had gone wrong. But she didn’t know it at that moment. Not until she heard reports of an explosion over a Texas field.
Columbia broke apart roughly 20 minutes from landing back home. During takeoff, a piece of debris struck the shuttle’s left wing, damaging the heat protection system. Her brother, Michael, and everyone onboard were gone.
"It was all so surreal. So surreal," she remembered.
In August of that year, the Avondale school board voted to change Avondale Elementary to the Michael Anderson School. Anderson loved science and learning, and the school adopted his motto of "dream big and work hard."
Assistant Principal Darryl Williford said hearing what Anderson did in his 43 years on this earth inspires their students.
"Anything is possible if you set your mind to it...to accomplish what he accomplished," he said.
It is especially important for the kids who grew up like he did, to have role models who understand them on a deeper level.
"To be able to see someone like them to be that successful, just lets them know, 'Hey that's possible for me to become an astronaut as well or whatever it is I want to be," he stated.
Michal Anderson School Principal Lori Goslar said the school itself was recently recognized.
"We earned a letter grade for the state of Arizona and that is a complete joint effort," she added. "I make a parallel with Michael Anderson and what he went through in his life and those steps toward achievement and that never-give-up attitude."
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