Ronald McNair
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| Astronaut | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | October 21, 1950 Lake City, South Carolina |
| Died | January 28, 1986 Cape Canaveral, Florida |
| Occupation1 | Physicist |
| Space time | 7d 23h 15m |
| Selection | 1978 NASA Group |
| Mission(s) | STS-41-B, STS-51-L |
| Mission insignia |   |
| 1 previous or current | |
Ronald Erwin McNair, Ph.D. (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was one of the astronauts killed during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, mission STS-51-L. He was a native of Lake City, South Carolina.
Dr. McNair received a B.S. in physics from North Carolina A&T State University in 1971, and a Ph.D. in the same discipline from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977. [1] He was also honored with honorary doctorates in 1978, 1980 and 1984.
He was a 5th-degree black belt karate instructor and had won five regional championships. Among many other studies in the field of physics, Dr. McNair had conducted research on the scientific foundations of the martial arts.
After graduation from MIT, he became a staff physicist at the Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
During the 1970s, actress Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame was employed by NASA to recruit minority candidates for the space program. Dr. McNair was chosen for the process, selected for the astronaut program in 1978, and flew on a Challenger mission in February 1984 as a mission specialist.
Dr. McNair was a saxophonist; before the mission he worked with composer Jean Michel Jarre on a piece of music, Rendez-vous VI. It was intended that he would record his saxophone solo on board Challenger, making it the first piece of music played in space. After the disaster, the piece was renamed Ron's Piece.
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[edit] Public honors
A variety of public places have been renamed in honor of Dr. McNair.
- The McNair crater on the Moon is named in his honor.
- Ronald McNair Boulevard in Lake City, South Carolina is named in his honor and lies near other streets named for astronauts who perished in the Challenger crash.
- The U.S. Department of Education offers the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program for disadvantaged students.
- In Florence, South Carolina, there is a Ronald McNair Math and Science Center at Francis Marion University.
- Several K-12 schools have also been named after McNair. Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, Ronald McNair Elementary School in Germantown, Maryland, Ronald E. McNair High School in Atlanta, Georgia, Ronald McNair Middle School in College Park, Georgia, Ronald McNair Elementary School in University City, Missouri, Ronald E. McNair Elementary School in Dallas, Texas (Dallas ISD), and Edison Ronald McNair Middle School in East Palo Alto, California are all named in his honor.
- A building on the Willowridge High School campus in Houston, Texas is named in honor of Dr. McNair. There is a memorial in Ronald McNair Park in Brooklyn, New York [2] [3].
- Inside the Davis Planetarium in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, the Ronald E. McNair Space Theater is named in his honor.
- The Engineering building at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC is named in his honor.
- The McNair Building at MIT is named after him, it houses the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
- The McNair Scholars Program at the University of Alabama awards research money and internships to first-generation and otherwise under-represented UA students [4]
[edit] Film
McNair was portrayed by Joe Morton in the 1990 TV movie Challenger. There is a One man show about his life titled Black Eagle.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
- Rendez-vous Houston
- McNair Foundation to encourage and mentor science, mathematics and technology students
- Spacefacts biography of Ronald McNair
- Ronald E. McNair Post - Baccalaureate Achievement Program
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