Remembering Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair

Education

Remembering Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair

Remembering Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair

Dr. Ronald McNair dreamed big as a child and accomplished a lifetime's worth of successful scientific endeavors in his 35 years. McNair, part of the Challenger crew who died during their January 1986 mission, has been honored in numerous ways since his death 30 years ago. Here, McNair trains on the RMS simulator in June 1983.

All seven members of the crew were killed when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during launch on Jan. 28, 1986. The disaster was the first of its kind in what had been 56 successful manned space missions. Front row from left: Michael J. Smith, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, and Ronald E. McNair. Back row from left: Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik. The Challenger mission had captured the nation's attention as Christa McAuliffe, chosen from thousands of teachers who applied to be America's first "Teacher in Space," was to become the first private citizen joining astronauts on a space mission. Two members of Congress had earlier joined NASA astronauts on other missions.

Selected as one of 35 applicants from a pool of 10,000 for the NASA astronaut program, McNair was part of NASA's standout 1978 class, which included Guion "Guy" Bluford, the first African-American in space, and Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. McNair is shown here on the cover of his brother Carl's book, "In the Spirit of Ronald E. McNair, Astronaut: An American Hero."

A sealing gasket, called an O-ring, on the shuttle’s right solid rocket launcher had shrunk in the 36-degree weather. That allowed superheated gases to escape, causing the disaster. -- Text by Marlon Walker, AJC

McNair's older brother, Carl, has kept the astronaut's legacy alive as founder and President of the Dr. Ronald E. McNair Foundation. Carl McNair says his brother saw opportunity where others saw roadblocks.

Ronald (left) and Carl McNair as toddlers. Watching "Star Trek" would inspire each to look beyond his hometown. For Ronald, the 1960s show prompted him to look, literally, to the stars. Carl McNair says that Ronald saw "Star Trek" not as science fiction, but as "science possibility."

Carl (left) and Ronald McNair in their freshman year at North Carolina A&T. Born 10 months apart, they were virtually inseparable until their careers took them in different directions. In 1976, Ronald McNair earned a Ph.D in physics from MIT. Carl McNair went on to become an author, education consultant and inspirational speaker.

The Dr. Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy is among three schools named after the astronaut killed during the Challenger liftoff in 1986.

NASA astronaut Leland Melvin speaks at DeKalb's McNair High School in this 2004 photo. Ronald McNair was the second African-American in space.

In this file photo, Ronald McNair Middle School students Jasmine Stovall and Draveon Moreland work in a mock space shuttle during the first actual class mission in the Challenger Learning Center at SciTrek on January 13, 2003. Ronald McNair Middle School is one of many schools named nationwide in honor of the astronaut. Two others are also in DeKalb County: McNair High School in Atlanta and McNair Middle in Decatur.

In this file photo, Carl McNair talks to a group of 6-8 graders from the Ronald McNair Middle School at SciTrek. They were about to begin the first actual class mission in the Challenger Learning Center at SciTrek on January 13, 2003. McNair told NPR in 2011 that his astronaut brother "got to be aboard his own Starship Enterprise."

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Dr. Ronald McNair dreamed big as a child and accomplished a lifetime's worth of successful scientific endeavors in his 35 years. McNair, part of the Challenger crew who died during their January 1986 mission, has been honored in numerous ways since his death 30 years ago. Here, McNair trains on the RMS simulator in June 1983.

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