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{{short description|American test pilot (1975–2014)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name = Michael Alsbury
| image =
| type = [[Virgin Galactic]] [[commercial astronaut]]
(''honorary'')<br />[[File:US - FAA Astronaut Wings version 2.png|150px]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1975|03|19}}<ref>''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''</ref>
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2014|10|31|1975|3|19}}
| birth_place = [[Santa Clara, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Mojave Desert]] near [[Cantil, California]], U.S.
| occupation = [[Test pilot]]
| alma_mater = [[California Polytechnic State University]] <small>([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])</small>
| time =
| mission = None
| insignia =
}}
'''Michael Tyner Alsbury''' (March 19, 1975 – October 31, 2014) was an American test pilot for [[Scaled Composites]]. He died on October 31, 2014, during [[2014 Virgin Galactic crash|test flight PF04]] of the [[Virgin Galactic]] [[SpaceShipTwo]] [[VSS Enterprise|VSS ''Enterprise'']].<ref>{{cite web|title=Press Release - 3:00pm, November 1, 2014|publisher=[[Scaled Composites]]|url=http://www.scaled.com/images/uploads/news/Press_Release_20141101b.pdf|date=November 1, 2014|accessdate=November 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102094932/http://www.scaled.com/images/uploads/news/Press_Release_20141101b.pdf|archive-date=November 2, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=LAT-2014-11-01>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-virgin-galactic-crash-ntsb-20141101-story.html|title=Virgin Galactic craft probably broke up in midair, NTSB chief says|first1=Melody|last1=Petersen|first2=Ruben|last2=Vives|first3=W. J.|last3=Hennigan|date=November 1, 2014|journal=[[Los Angeles Times]]|accessdate=November 5, 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Michael was born to Rich and Linda Alsbury in [[Santa Clara, California]], but grew up in [[Scotts Valley|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.<ref name=IND-2014-11-06>{{cite news|title=Michael Alsbury: Experienced and respected pilot who died during a test flight for Richard Branson's 'SpaceShipTwo' vessel|last=Williamson|first=Marcus|author-link=Marcus Williamson|date=November 6, 2014|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/michael-alsbury-experienced-and-respected-pilot-who-died-during-a-test-flight-for-richard-bransons-spaceshiptwo-vessel-9842224.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/michael-alsbury-experienced-and-respected-pilot-who-died-during-a-test-flight-for-richard-bransons-spaceshiptwo-vessel-9842224.html |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|journal=[[The Independent]]|accessdate=November 8, 2014}}</ref> He graduated from [[California Polytechnic State University]] in [[San Luis Obispo]] with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[Aeronautical Engineering]].<ref name=IND-2014-11-06/><ref name=LAT-2014-11-01/> Immediately out of college, Alsbury began work at [[Scaled Composites]]. He was married to Michelle Saling, whom he had met at Cal Poly, for 12 years and had two children, aged 7 and 10 at the time of his death, living in [[Tehachapi, California|Tehachapi]].<ref name=LAT-2014-11-01/> Some of his other pastimes included fly fishing and supporting the [[San Francisco Giants]].

==Career==
Alsbury joined Scaled Composites in 2001 and began working as a project engineer and pilot.<ref name=LAT-2014-11-01/> In April 2013, he served as copilot to [[Mark Stucky]] on the first powered flight for VSS ''Enterprise'' and SpaceShipTwo.<ref name=LAT-2014-11-01/>

At the time of his death, he had 1800 flight hours, 1600 of them as a test pilot and engineer with Scaled Composites.<ref name=LAT-2014-11-01/>

In 2013, he received the [[Ray E. Tenhoff Award]] for the most outstanding technical paper at the [[Society of Experimental Test Pilots]] symposium along with Mark Stucky and [[Clint Nichols (astronaut)|Clint Nichols]].<ref name=LAT-2014-11-01/>

On October 31, 2014, Alsbury was test flying the [[Virgin Galactic]] [[SpaceShipTwo]], [[VSS Enterprise|VSS ''Enterprise'']] with [[Peter Siebold]]. The craft broke up in-flight, resulting in a total loss of VSS ''Enterprise'', which [[VSS Enterprise crash|crashed]] in the California [[Mojave Desert]]. Alsbury was unable to exit the spacecraft, and his remains were found still strapped to his seat in the fuselage. The pilot, Peter Siebold, survived.<ref name=LAT-2014-11-01/> It was the ninth time that Alsbury had flown aboard the aircraft.<ref>{{cite news|title=Branson determined to find cause of Virgin spaceship crash, pilots identified|url=http://newsdaily.com/2014/11/virgin-galactic-spaceship-crashes-during-california-test-flight/|date=November 2, 2014|first1=Daina Beth|last1=Solomon|first2=Irene|last2=Klotz|agency=[[Reuters]]|publisher=[[Science Daily]]|accessdate=November 5, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206195105/http://newsdaily.com/2014/11/virgin-galactic-spaceship-crashes-during-california-test-flight/|archive-date=December 6, 2014}}</ref>

==Legacy==

On November 4, 2014, episode 5 of [[BBC One]]'s ''[[Human Universe]]'', presented by [[Brian Cox (physicist)|Brian Cox]], was dedicated to Alsbury, as it had a sequence on Virgin Galactic test pilot [[David Mackay (pilot)|David Mackay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0276q61|title=BBC Two - Human Universe, What is our Future?|year=2014|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=November 5, 2014}}</ref>

His name was added to the [[Space Mirror Memorial]] in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-012520a-space-mirror-memorial-alsbury-commercial-astronaut.html|title=Fallen SpaceShipTwo pilot's name added to Space Mirror Memorial|date=January 25, 2020|access-date=February 12, 2020|website=collectSPACE}}</ref>

He was [[posthumous award|posthumously awarded]] the [[FAA]] [[Commercial astronaut#Astronaut wings|Commercial Astronaut Wings]] in 2021.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=FAA Commercial Human Spaceflight Recognition|url=https://www.faa.gov/space/licenses/human_spaceflight/recognition/|url-status=live|website=www.faa.gov|language=en-us|access-date=3 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210183427/https://www.faa.gov/space/licenses/human_spaceflight/recognition/ |archive-date=2021-12-10 }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite news |url=https://spacenews.com/faa-to-end-commercial-astronaut-wings-program/ |title=FAA to end commercial astronaut wings program |first=Jeff |last=Foust |date=2021-12-10 |work=SpaceNews |access-date=2022-01-03}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{The Spaceship Company}}
{{Scaled Composites}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alsbury, Michael}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in California]]
[[Category:American test pilots]]
[[Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:California Polytechnic State University alumni]]
[[Category:Commercial astronauts]]
[[Category:Scaled Composites]]
[[Category:Space program fatalities]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2014]]
[[Category:Victims of flight test accidents]]
[[Category:Virgin Galactic]]

Michael Alsbury - Revision history

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