Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was an American physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair perished during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.

Biography

A native of Lake City, South Carolina, 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. He was also honored with honorary doctorates in 1978, 1980 and 1984.

He was a fifth-degree black belt karate instructor and had won five regional championships. Among many other studies in the field of physics, McNair had conducted research on the scientific foundations of the martial arts. Additionally, he was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

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. 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.

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.

Public Honors

Dr. Ronald E. McNair memorial in his hometown, Lake City, South Carolina

A variety of public places and people have been renamed in honor of McNair.

• The McNair crater on the Moon is named in his honor.
• Watson Chapel Jr. High has changed its name to R. McNair Jr. High School.

• McNair Elementary School in Compton, California 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.
  • Ronald E. McNair Middle School in Lake City, South Carolina was renamed from Carver High School in his honor (he was a high school graduate of the facility).
  • Dr. Ronald Ervin McNair Academic High School in Jersey City, New Jersey
  • Ronald McNair Elementary School in Germantown, Maryland
  • Ronald Ervin McNair High School in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Ronald McNair Middle School in Decatur, Georgia
  • Ronald McNair Elementary School in University City, Missouri
  • Ronald Ervin McNair Elementary School in Denton, Texas (Denton ISD)
  • Ronald McNair Middle School in Rockledge, Florida
  • Ronald E. McNair Elementary School in Dallas, Texas(Dallas ISD)
  • Edison Ronald McNair Middle School in East Palo Alto, California
  • Ronald Ervin McNair High School in Stockton, California
  • The Ronald McNair School in Cambria Heights, New York

Dr. Ronald E. McNair tomb in his hometown, Lake City, South Carolina

• 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 http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/crownheights/mcnairpark/index.htm http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=12489.
• Inside the Davis Planetarium in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, the Ronald E. McNair Space Theater is named in his honor.
• The Naval ROTC building on the campus of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 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 houses the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
• The McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which operates at 179 campuses in the U.S. (April 07), awards research money and internships to first-generation and otherwise underrepresented students in preparation for graduate work. http://www.ed.gov/programs/triomcnair/index.html

Film & Theater

McNair was portrayed by Joe Morton in the 1990 TV movie Challenger. There is a one man show about his life titled Black Eagle.

See also

• Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
• Rendez-vous Houston

References

• Official NASA Bio
• Challenger Center bio
• Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

External links

• 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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