Laurel Clark, born on March 10, 1961, was an American medical doctor and astronaut. She joined NASA in 1992 and became the first female physician astronaut in NASA's history. In 1997, as a crew member of STS-87, she contributed to the construction of the International Space Station. Tragically, she and her six fellow astronauts perished on February 1, 2003, during the STS-107 mission.
