Ronald McNair

African American physicist and astronaut Ronald McNair was one of the seven crew members killed in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.

UPDATED: SEP 14, 2020

(1950-1986)

Who Was Ronald McNair?

Ronald McNair was an MIT-trained physicist who specialized in laser research before joining NASA in the late 1970s. In February 1984, he became just the second African American to reach space, serving as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. On January 28, 1986, he was one of the seven crew members killed when the Challenger shockingly exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. 

Early Life

Ronald Erwin McNair was born on October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina. The second of three boys born to Carl, a mechanic, and Pearl, a teacher, McNair displayed an early aptitude for technical matters, earning the nickname “Gizmo.”

McNair’s interest in space was piqued by the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik in 1957, and boosted by the appearance of Star Trek on TV years later, its multi-ethnic cast pushing the boundaries of what was possible for a small-town African American boy.

An outstanding all-around student at Carver High School, McNair starred in baseball, basketball and football and played saxophone for the school band. He graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1967, earning a scholarship to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Source: BIOGRAPHY website