UW-Madison alumna aboard space shuttle Columbia

Among the seven flight crew members who lost their lives on the space shuttle Columbia Saturday, Feb. 1, was UW–Madison alumna Laurel Blair Salton Clark, 41.

During the 16-day mission, the flight members performed more than 80 scientific experiments, including two led by UW–Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR). Because of her connection to the university, Clark had specifically requested to be involved in the UW–Madison projects during the flight. The shuttle, originally scheduled for takeoff last July, left earth at 9:39 a.m. EST on Jan. 16.

Clark, who was aboard her first space flight mission, grew up in Wisconsin. After graduating from William Horlick High School in Racine in 1979, she attended UW–Madison, where she received her bachelor’s degree in zoology in 1983 and medical degree in 1987. Before being selected by NASA in April 1996 as an astronaut candidate, Clark was a commander in the U.S. Navy and a naval flight surgeon. She completed two years of training and evaluation before she was qualified as a mission specialist for the space shuttle flight.

Clark, whose hobbies included scuba diving, hiking, camping, biking, parachuting and flying, was married to Jonathan B. Clark; they have one child. During her time with the Navy, she received three Navy Commendation Medals.

On the mission, Clark carried with her several mementos to remind her of her time at UW–Madison: two Medical School medallions and a Wisconsin-made teddy bear wearing a jacket with the College of Letters and Science logo and “Zoology” embroidered over the heart.

Recalling a letter Clark wrote to the university, Phil Certain, dean of the College of Letters and Science, says, “Laurel said she would like to recognize the role the University of Wisconsin has played in her life by flying an item from her undergraduate school.”

Clark had told Certain during an interview last June: “I loved my zoology classes, but I also remember many wonderful classes that were unrelated to what I ended up doing. Taking this broad range of classes really fostered my appreciation of the depth of education I was getting. I have so many strong memories of those years.”

Speaking on behalf of the UW Medical School, Deputy Dean Paul M. DeLuca said, “We are extremely saddened by the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and our alumna, Dr. Laurel Clark. Laurel was an extraordinary young woman who contributed much to science and space flight. Our thoughts are with her family, her friends and all who knew her. Laurel will be remembered as a dedicated physician and talented researcher. Her warm spirit and vision will continue on in her achievements.”

Clark, before she flew her first mission, told Certain and others in her interview, “I myself never thought about being an astronaut until I was in my thirties. … I feel very fortunate every day that I’ve been chosen to do what I’m going to do. I think that sometimes life takes you in very unexpected ways.”