Laurel Blair Salton Clark, MD, a Captain in the United States Navy, was born on March 10, 1961 in Ames, Iowa. She considered Racine, Wisconsin her hometown, and enjoyed scuba diving, hiking, camping, biking, parachuting, flying, and traveling.
Clark and her crewmates, Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, and Ilan Ramon, died on Feb. 1, 2003 as Columbia broke up over Texas during re-entry, about 16 minutes before landing.
Space Flights:
- Mission Specialist 4, STS-107, Columbia, January 16-Feburary 1, 2003
Total Hours in Space: 382+
Astronaut Group: 16-August 12, 1996
Degrees: BS, zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1983 and doctorate in medicine from the same school in 1987.
Military Service & Awards: During her time in the Navy, Clark became an undersea medical officer. While stationed in Scotland, she dove with divers and performed numerous medical evacuations from U.S. submarines. Later, she became a flight surgeon. Navy Commendation Medals (3); National Defense Medal, and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Interred at Arlington National Cemetery: March 10, 2003
Section: 46
Grave: 1180-2 front
Grid: O-23/24
How to locate: Located just behind the Columbia memorial when facing it. This is to the west of the Memorial Amphitheater, near the mast of the U.S.S. Maine.