A Carteret County native will be honored during NASA's final space shuttle flight that is scheduled to lift off Friday.
Captain Michael Smith, of Beaufort, was killed during the Challenger explosion in 1986. Smith will be honored through the presence of the honor flag on board the shuttle.
The honor flag is an American flag that is a traveling memorial to those who lost their lives serving their community and country. It will fly with Space Shuttle Atlantis into space today to remember the 23 American Astronauts killed in duty.
