Michael Alsbury

Michael Tyner Alsbury (March 19, 1975 – October 31, 2014) was an American test pilot for Scaled Composites. He died on October 31, 2014, during test flight PF04 of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise.

Personal life Michael was born to Rich and Linda Alsbury in Santa Clara, California, but grew up in Scotts Valley, California, graduating from Soquel High School as a valedictorian in 1993. He was an Eagle Scout, and also played soccer at a young age. Alsbury was a flying enthusiast since childhood, achieving his pilot's license at the age of 23. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

Legacy

On November 4, 2014, episode 5 of BBC One's Human Universe, presented by Brian Cox, was dedicated to Alsbury, as it had a sequence on Virgin Galactic test pilot David Mackay.

His name was added to the Space Mirror Memorial in 2020.

He was posthumously awarded the FAA Commercial Astronaut Wings in 2021.