← Back to the front page

30 Facts About Challenger Astronaut, Ronald McNair

Tim Flight December 28, 2019 20 min

Ronald McNair - Dr. Ronald McNair — McNair on board the Challenger, 1984. Berkeley

20. He got numerous honorary degrees before finding fame as an astronaut

McNair gives a commencement address at the University of South Carolina in 1984. YouTube

We said right at the start that there’s so much more to Ronald McNair than space. His contemporaries certainly thought so, and before becoming a famous astronaut Ronald was honored accordingly. In 1978, North Carolina AT&T gave him an honorary doctorate in Law. He got another in science from Morris College. 1979 saw Ronald named a Distinguished National Scientist by the National Society of Black Professional Engineers. More awards only followed his fame as an astronaut. In 1984, after his first orbit, the University of South Carolina followed suit and gave him an honorary doctorate in science.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk