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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

**12. McNair was selected again for the STS-51L mission of the Challenger in 1985**

McNair and the rest of the Challenger crew pose for an official portrait in November 1985. Wikimedia Commons

After the success of mission STS 41-B, NASA selected Ronald for STS 51-L. With 6 other astronauts, the Challenger was scheduled for take-off in January 1986. STS 51-L, the 25^th US space shuttle mission, aimed to launch more satellites and monitor Halley’s Comet. Alongside his Jean-Michel Jarre collaboration, Ronald again had responsibility for experiments on board. The mission was Challenger‘s tenth, and Ronald was hugely excited about another foray into orbit. Bad weather and problems with the exterior access hatch delayed the planned January 22, 1986 launch. Eventually, Ronald and his fellow astronauts prepared for launch on January, 28…

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

30 Facts About Challenger Astronaut, Ronald McNair

**12. McNair was selected again for the STS-51L mission of the Challenger in 1985**

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