Alan G. Poindexter, an astronaut who grew up in Coronado, has died following an accident on the water in Florida, reports NASA, in his official biography.
Poindexter and his son were riding different water crafts Sunday, authorities said, but when Poindexter stopped, his son didn't, and they collided, according to the Huffington Post, via the Associated Press. The report added:
A boat picked up Poindexter and took him to shore. He was talking and complaining about rib injuries but he lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The accident happened in a bay between Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach in Florida’s Panhandle where Poindexter had been vacationing.
Poindexter went into space twice, in 2008 and 2010, aboard the Atlantis and the Discovery; the missions took him to the International Space Station.
The Navy captain – whose father, Adm. John Poindexter, was a part of former President Ronald Reagan's administration – flew at Miramar and was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He worked as dean of students at the Naval Postgraduate School after his retirement from NASA in 2010, according to AP.
According to his official biography, he graduated from Coronado High School in 1979, before moving on to the Georgia Institute of Technology for his undergraduate work and the Naval Postgraduate School for his masters degree.
For more, see NASA and the Huffington Post.
