Posted: Thu, May 24, 2001, 9:56 AM ET (1356 GMT)
A NASA astronaut was critically injured when the small plane she was flying in crashed near Houston late Tuesday. Patricia Hilliard Robertson was severely burned when the homebuilt plane crashed in a field during a series of touch-and-go landing attempts. The pilot of the plane, a civilian, was also severely injured. A NASA press release described Robertson's condition as "stable, but critical." The 38-year-old Robertson, an MD, was selected as part of NASA's 1998 astronaut class, but has yet to be assigned to a shuttle mission. She had been working to support the Expedition Two crew on the International Space Station as a liaison between mission control and the Astronaut Office.

Related Links:

•  NASA/JSC press release
•  Houston Chronicle article