Michael J. Smith's Birth Card: The 4 of Clubs

In the record

Michael John Smith (April 30, 1945 – January 28, 1986), (Capt USN) was an American engineer and astronaut. The birth-card coordinate for April 30 is the 4 of Clubs — a calendar position, not a forecast of a flight assignment.

The 4 of Clubs coordinate

Michael J. Smith's birthday maps to the 4 of Clubs (The Systematic Builder). Card Blueprints treats that as a 365-day coordinate: solar value = 55 − (2 × month + day), and the year is unused. It is not a prediction about a mission and not a verdict on Michael J. Smith. The card's own language, quoted as system copy rather than biography: You put knowledge into an order other people can actually use.

Live 4 of Clubs meaning page

Michael J. Smith in the public record

He served as the pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission, breaking up 73 seconds into the flight, and at an altitude of 48,000 feet (14.6 km), killing all seven crew members. Smith's voice was the last one heard on the Challenger voice recorder. During his Naval career, Smith flew 28 different types of civilian and military aircraft and logged 4,867 hours of flying time. Following the Challenger disaster, he was promoted posthumously to the rank of captain, and has had a chair named in his honor at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California. Smith was born April 30, 1945, in Beaufort, North Carolina. He graduated from Beaufort High School in 1963 and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Science from the United States Naval Academy in 1967. Smith subsequently attended the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California, from which he graduated with a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1968.

Summarised from the lead section of the Wikipedia article Michael J. Smith (CC BY-SA 4.0). No biographical facts were written for this page beyond that article.

Where the record meets the Jack of Spades

A card is a calendar coordinate, not a cause. What follows sets one line of the card's own published language beside one sentence of the sourced record, paired by a documented rule. It is a resemblance offered for the reader to weigh — not a claim about Michael J. Smith, and not a forecast of a spaceflight.

Courage to speak difficult truths

Michael John Smith (April 30, 1945 – January 28, 1986), (Capt USN) was an American engineer and astronaut.

Paired on work, health and mastery — the domain ♠ governs in this system. Markers in the record: engineer.

Also on the record

1. Smith was awarded a Marshall Scholarship and went on to complete naval aviation jet training at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, receiving his aviator wings in May 1969.
2. Smith was then assigned to the Advanced Jet Training Command (VT-21) where he served as an instructor from May 1969 to March 1971.
3. During the two-year period that followed, Smith flew A-6 Intruders and completed a tour in 1972 during the Vietnam War while assigned to Attack Squadron 52 (VA-52) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk.
4. During his deployment with VA-52, Smith took part in Operation Linebacker, the first continuous bombing effort conducted against North Vietnam since 1968.

Other astronauts with this card

• Bernard A. Harris Jr. — NASA Group 13 · Former · 2 flights
• Carl J. Meade — NASA Group 11 · Former · 3 flights
• Catherine G. Coleman — NASA Group 14 · Former · 3 flights
• Duane G. Carey — NASA Group 16 · Former · 1 flight

FAQ

What is Michael J. Smith's birth card?

The 4 of Clubs. April 30 maps to that card through the public Card Blueprints formula. The year of birth is not used.

Does a birth card predict a spaceflight?

No. These pages are coordinates, not fortune-telling. A birth card names a calendar day in a 52-card year. It does not forecast missions, character, or fate.

Where do Michael J. Smith's dates come from?

Birth date 1945-04-30 is the day-precision date on Michael J. Smith's NASA astronaut biography (NASA Group 9 · Deceased · selected, no flights in the Fact Book table), verified against Wikidata P569 (CC0, day precision, Gregorian preferred). The two sources match. Year-only NASA dates and NASA↔Wikidata conflicts are dropped, not guessed. Page hooks and evidence come from the Wikipedia REST summary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Get the $9 Deep Dive

The Deep Dive is a written card report for your own birthday — not an astronaut reading.

Get the $9 Deep Dive