William E. Thornton

William Thornton
Thornton in 1981
Born	William Edgar Thornton (1929-04-14)April 14, 1929 Faison, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	January 11, 2021(2021-01-11) (aged 91) Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, U.S.
Education	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BS, MD)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space	13d 1h 16m
Selection	NASA Group 6 (1967)
Missions	STS-8 STS-51-B
Mission insignia
Retirement	May 31, 1994

William Edgar Thornton (April 14, 1929 – January 11, 2021) was an American NASA astronaut. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from University of North Carolina and a doctorate in medicine, also from UNC. He flew on Challenger twice, the STS-8 and STS-51-B missions.