Ronald McNair
Ronald McNair | |
---|---|
Born | Ronald Erwin McNair October 21, 1950 |
Died | January 28, 1986 Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. | (aged 35)
Resting place | Ronald E. McNair Memorial Park, Lake City, South Carolina, U.S. |
Occupation | Physicist |
Awards | |
Space career | |
NASA Astronaut | |
Time in space | 7d 23h 15m |
Selection | 1978 NASA Group |
Missions | STS-41-B, STS-51-L |
Mission insignia |
Ronald Erwin McNair (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was an American NASA astronaut and physicist. He died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L, in which he was serving as one of three mission specialists in a crew of seven.
Prior to the Challenger disaster, he flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-B aboard Challenger from February 3 to February 11, 1984, becoming the second African American to fly in space.
Background[]
McNair was born October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina, to Pearl M. and Carl C. McNair. He had two brothers, Carl and Eric A. McNair. In the summer of 1959, he refused to leave the segregated Lake City Public Library without being allowed to check out his books. After the police and his mother were called, he was allowed to borrow books from the library; the building that housed the library at the time is now named after him.[1] A children's book, Ron's Big Mission, offers a fictionalized account of this event. His brother, Carl also wrote the official biography, In the Spirit of Ronald E. McNair—Astronaut: An American Hero.
McNair graduated as valedictorian of Carver High School in 1967.[2]
In 1971, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering physics, magna cum laude, from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina.[3]
In 1976, he received a Ph.D. degree in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the guidance of Michael Feld, becoming nationally recognised for his work in the field of laser physics.
After graduation from MIT (receiving four honorary doctorates, a score of fellowships and commendations while achieving a 6th-degree black belt in taekwondo), he became a staff physicist at the Hughes Research Lab in Malibu, California.
McNair was a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity[3] and a member of the Bahá'í Faith.[4]
Astronaut career[]
In 1978, McNair was selected as one of thirty-five applicants from a pool of ten thousand for the NASA astronaut program. He flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-B aboard Challenger from February 3 to February 11, 1984, becoming the second African American to fly in space.
Challenger disaster[]
Following the STS-41-B mission, McNair was selected for STS-51-L as one of three mission specialists in a crew of seven. The mission launched on January 28, 1986. He was killed when Challenger disintegrated nine miles above the Atlantic Ocean 73 seconds after liftoff. The disintegration also killed six other crew members.[5]
He was initially buried at Rest Lawn Memorial Park in Lake City, South Carolina. His remains were disinterred in 2004 and moved to Ronald E. McNair Memorial Park, located elsewhere in Lake City.[6]
Music in space[]
McNair was an accomplished saxophonist.
Before his last fateful space mission, he had worked with the composer Jean-Michel Jarre on a piece of music for Jarre's then-upcoming album Rendez-Vous. It was intended that he would record his saxophone solo onboard the Challenger, which would have made McNair's solo the first original piece of music to have been recorded in space[7] (although the song "Jingle Bells" had been played on a harmonica during an earlier Gemini 6 spaceflight). However, the recording was never made, as the flight ended in the disaster and the deaths of its entire crew. The final track on Rendez-Vous, "Last Rendez-Vous," has the subtitle "Ron's Piece," and the liner notes include a dedication from Jarre: "Ron was so excited about the piece that he rehearsed it continuously until the last moment. May the memory of my friend the astronaut and the artist Ron McNair live on through this piece."[8] Ron McNair was supposed to have taken part in Jarre's Rendez-vous Houston concert through a live feed from the orbiting Shuttlecraft.
Public honors[]
McNair was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004, along with all crew members lost in the Challenger and Columbia disasters.
A variety of public places, people and programs have been renamed in honor of McNair.
- The crater McNair on the Moon is named in his honor.
- The McNair Building at MIT (a.k.a. Building 37), his alma mater, houses the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
- The McNair Science Center at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina.
- The McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research at the University of South Carolina is named in his honor.
- Watson Chapel Jr. High was renamed the R. McNair Jr. High School 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 TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program for students with low income, first generation students, and/or underrepresented students in graduate education for doctorate education.
- On January 29, 2011, the Lake City, South Carolina, library was dedicated as the Ronald McNair Life History Center.[2] When Ronald McNair was eight, the police and his mother were called because he wished to check out books from this library, which served only white patrons before he arrived. He said, "I'll wait," to the lady and sat on the counter until the police and his mother arrived, and the officer said, "Why don't you just give him the books?" which the lady behind the counter reluctantly did. He said, "Thank you, Ma'am," as he got the books.[1] The episode as recalled by his brother Carl McNair has been depicted in a short animated film.[9][10][11]
- Several K-12 schools have also been named after McNair.
- McNair Memorial Park in El Lago, Texas, is named in his honor.[12]
- 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 E. McNair Academic High School in Jersey City, New Jersey[13]
- Ronald McNair Elementary School currently under construction in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Ronald McNair Elementary School in Germantown, Maryland
- Ronald E. McNair Prince Hall Masonic Lodge No. 146 is named in his honor in Suitland, Maryland[14]
- Dr. Ronald E. McNair High School in DeKalb County, Georgia, near Decatur
- Ronald E. McNair Middle School, San Antonio, Texas – Southwest ISD
- Ronald McNair Middle School in DeKalb County, Georgia, near Decatur
- Ronald McNair Middle School in College Park, Georgia
- Ronald E. McNair Administrative Center in University City, Missouri
- Ronald E. McNair Elementary School in Hazelwood, Missouri[15]
- 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)
- Ronald E. McNair Academic Center in Chicago, Illinois
- Ronald E. McNair Junior High School in Huntsville, Alabama[16]
- Los Robles Ronald McNair Academy[17] in East Palo Alto, California
- Ronald E. McNair High School in Stockton, California
- PS 5, Dr. Ronald McNair School in Brooklyn, New York
- PS/MS 147 Ronald McNair in Cambria Heights Queens, New York
- McNair Elementary School in Compton, California.
- Ronald E. McNair Building: Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Ronald E. McNair Building: KIPP Believe College Prep. New Orleans, Louisiana
- A building on the Willowridge High School campus in Houston, Texas, is named in honor of McNair.
- Dr. Ronald McNair Junior High School in Pearland, Texas (Alvin Independent School District), is named in honor Dr. McNair.[18]
- There is a memorial in the Ronald McNair Park in Brooklyn, New York, in his honor.[19][20][21]
- The Dr. Ronald E. McNair Playground in East Harlem, New York City, is named after him.[22]
- The Ronald E. McNair Space Theater inside the Davis Planetarium in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, 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 university holds a "McNair Day" celebration annually.[23]
- McNair was portrayed by Joe Morton in the 1990 TV movie Challenger.
- The song "A Drop Of Water," recorded by Japanese jazz artist Keiko Matsui, with vocals by the late Carl Anderson, was written in tribute to McNair.
- The Jean Michel Jarre track "Last Rendez-Vous" was re-titled "Ron's Piece" in his honor. McNair was originally due to record the track in space aboard Challenger, and then perform it via a live link up in Jarre's Rendez-vous Houston concert.
- The federally-funded McNair Scholars/Achievement Programs award research money and internships to juniors and seniors who are first-generation and low-income, or members of groups that are underrepresented, in preparation for graduate study. 187 institutions participate (as of 2020).[24][25] Michigan State University and Washington State University are two examples of these programs and both offer Summer Research Opportunity Program as additional program components.[26]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Astronaut's Brother Recalls A Man Who Dreamed Big". NPR. January 28, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Smith, Bruce (January 28, 2011). "Small SC town pauses to remember astronaut son". TheState.com. Retrieved January 29, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Jump up to: a b * "RONALD E. MCNAIR (PH.D.), NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED)" (PDF). NASA. December 2003. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ "BHM Remembers: Dr. Ronald McNair". Black History Month 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Astronaut Bio: Ronald E. McNair 12/03". February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Dr. Ronald e. McNair Memorial".
- ^ "The history of synthpop". Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Challenger 25th Anniversary Tribute Song". Between Two Worlds. January 28, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ Popova, Maria, "Eyes on the Stars: Astronaut Ronald McNair, Who Perished in the Challenger Disaster, Remembered by His Brother in an Affectionate Animated Short Film", Brain Pickings.
- ^ "Eyes on the Stars". StoryCorps. January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
On January 28, 1986, NASA Challenger mission STS-51-L ended in tragedy when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after takeoff. On board was physicist Ronald E. McNair, who was the second African American person to enter space. But first, he was a kid with big dreams in Lake City, South Carolina.
- ^ Rauch, Mike; Rauch, Tim (April 4, 2013), Eyes on the Stars (Documentary, Animation, Short, Biography, Drama, Family), retrieved February 22, 2021
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), last accessed September 16, 2013.
- ^ Hague, Jim. "In a Class By Itself". Jersey City Magazine, Spring & Summer 2011, p. 55.
- ^ "Fourth-Masonic-District". Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Bryan, Shevaun (August 5, 2014). "New school, old building: first day of school at McNair Junior High". Huntsville, AL: WHNT-TV. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
- ^ Los Robles Ronald McNair Academy Archived 2009-09-01 at the Wayback Machine, accessed January 28, 2011.
- ^ "Alvin ISD Board Members Approve New Facility Name", Alvin Independent School District.
- ^ "Dr. Ronald E. McNair Park, Crown Heights, Brooklyn". Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Historical Sign Listings : NYC Parks". Nycgovparks.org. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ Walsh, Kevin "DR. RONALD E. McNAIR PARK, Prospect Heights" Forgotten-NY January 28, 2018 http://forgotten-ny.com/2018/01/dr-ronald-e-mcnair-park-prospect-heights/
- ^ "Dr. Ronald McNair Playground". Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ Dixon, Tonya (January 16, 2020). "Annual Celebration of Ronald McNair by N.C. A&T to be Held Jan. 28" (Press release). North Carolina A&T State University. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ "TRIO – Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program – About". University of Central Florida. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ "TRIO – Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program – Home Page". Ed.gov. May 9, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Scholars Program – Program Services". wsu.edu. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ronald McNair. |
- McNair Foundation to encourage and mentor science, mathematics and technology students
- Spacefacts biography of Ronald McNair
- Ronald E. McNair Post – Baccalaureate Achievement Program
- "RONALD E. MCNAIR (PH.D.), NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED)" (PDF). NASA. December 2003. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
- StoryCorps: Astronaut's Brother Recalls A Man Who Dreamed Big
- Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor
- 1950 births
- 1986 deaths
- People from Lake City, South Carolina
- American astronauts
- 20th-century American physicists
- African-American scientists
- African-American Bahá'ís
- North Carolina A&T State University alumni
- MIT Department of Physics alumni
- NASA civilian astronauts
- Space Shuttle program astronauts
- Space Shuttle Challenger disaster victims