Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in May 1980, Captain Smith completed a one-year training and evaluation period in August 1981, qualifying him for assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flight crews. He served as a commander in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory, Deputy Chief of the Aircraft Operations Division, Technical Assistant to the Director of the Flight Operations Directorate, and was also assigned to the Astronaut Office Development and Test Group. Captain Smith was assigned as pilot for STS-51-L and was also scheduled to serve as pilot for Space Shuttle Mission 61-N, planned for launch in the fall of 1986. Tragically, Captain Smith died on January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch from Kennedy Space Center. The disaster also claimed the lives of spacecraft commander Mr. F.R. Scobee, three mission specialists—Dr. R.E. McNair, Lt. Col. E.S. Onizuka (U.S. Air Force), and Dr. J.A. Resnik—and two civilian payload specialists, Mr. G.B. Jarvis and Mrs. S.C. McAuliffe. Courtesy of NASA.