Northrop Grumman has a tradition where each Cygnus spacecraft is named in honor of an individual who has made substantial contributions to human spaceflight.
The prime employer is proud to name the NG-19 Cygnus spacecraft in remembrance and celebration of the life and legacy of NASA astronaut Dr. Laurel Clark.
Dr. Clark was an accomplished undersea medical officer and naval flight surgeon prior to her NASA career. During her first and only spaceflight, STS-107, Dr. Clark and the rest of the crew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia tragically lost their lives on Feb. 1, 2003 when the shuttle did not survive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Dr. Clark was selected in honor of her memory as a crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia for STS-107.
Cygnus has the foundation for vehicles to enable the first woman, and next man, to walk on the Moon
An impressive military career
Dr. Clark was born in Iowa in 1961, but considered Racine, Wisconsin to be her hometown. Dr. Clark received a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a medical degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1979 and 1987, respectively.
During medical school, Dr. Clark completed active duty training with the Diving Medicine Department at the U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit. She completed her postgraduate medical education in pediatrics at the National Naval Medical Center in 1988, and later completed diving medical officer training. During her military career, Dr. Clark worked as a Radiation Health Officer, Undersea Medical Officer, Naval Submarine Medical Officer, Diving Medical Officer and Naval Flight Surgeon, rising to the rank of captain.
Becoming a NASA astronaut
Dr. Clark was selected to become an astronaut in 1996 as part of NASA Group 16. Launching in January 2003, STS-107 was her first and only flight, logging 15 days, 22 hours and 21 minutes in space. The crew worked 24 hours a day in alternating shifts during this mission, and successfully conducted 80 experiments. Dr. Clark’s bioscience experiments included gardening in space. Dr. Clark enjoyed taking photos of the Earth during her free time, and in an email to family said, “whenever I do get to look out, it is glorious.”
On February 1, 2003, Dr. Clark and the rest of the crew aboard the Columbia tragically lost their lives when the shuttle did not survive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The entire crew was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush in 2004, approximately one year after the accident.
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