Remembering Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair

Metro Atlanta

Photos: A look at the life of Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair, who died in the space shuttle explosion Jan. 28, 1986.

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 (left) and Ronald McNair in their freshman year at N.C. A&T. Born 10 months apart, they were virtually inseparable until their careers took them in different directions.

This 1986 file photo provided by NASA shows the crew of the space shuttle Challenger. From left: Ellison Onizuka, Mike Smith, Christa McAuliffe, Dick Scobee, Greg Jarvis, Ron McNair and Judith Resnik.

In this Jan. 28, 1986, file photo, the space shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The former Walker High in DeKalb County, Ga., was re-named in honor of Ronald McNair in 1987. According to the school website, McNair High is a pilot school for the AP (Advanced Placement) Environmental Science Curriculum.

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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.

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