30 Facts About Challenger Astronaut, Ronald McNair

11. The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after take-off, killing McNair and 6 other astronauts

The mission marked the darkest day in NASA’s history. At 11:38 am EST, Challenger was cleared for launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Everything seemed fine initially, and on the video of the launch, you can hear crowds cheering. However, after the planned break-up, the shuttle ran into difficulties. After 73 seconds, the Challenger exploded at 46,000 feet in the air, to the horror of people watching all around the world. NASA employees and spectators alike could only look on in horror. All 7 astronauts on board died, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. Ronald was just 35 years old.

10. Structural failure caused the Challenger to explode

Subsequent investigations into the Challenger disaster found structural failure caused it. The severe cold of the morning of January 28 1986 reduced the resiliency of rubber rings sealing the joint between the lower segments of the right-hand rocket booster. Instead of resealing, as usual, the rings allowed hot exhaust gas to escape, which ignited 59 seconds after launch. The effects of the failure also made the external fuel tank explode. Tragically, Morton-Thiokol, the company which made the rings, had warned NASA about the potentially catastrophic effects of cold weather. Challenger took off from a launch tower covered in icicles.

9. The Challenger and its crew were found in the ocean months later

No one who saw the Challenger explode had any doubts as to the fate of the 7 astronauts on board. Debris from the explosion continued to fall in the Atlantic Ocean for an hour afterward. Despite the prompt reaction of search and rescue teams, they couldn’t find any trace of the crew. A huge search began, covering 486 square nautical miles. On March, 7, divers from the USS Preserver found the crew compartment on the ocean floor. After so long in the Atlantic, the astronauts’ bodies were a gruesome sight, and autopsies thus proved inconclusive.

8. His wife, Cheryl Moore, and two children survived him

At heart, and despite his staggering achievements, Ronald McNair was a devoted family man. His death widowed his distraught wife, Cheryl B. Moore. His children, Joy Charey and Reginald Ervin, were aged just 18 months and 3 years respectively at the time. Since the tragedy, Cheryl and the children have dedicated themselves to honoring Ronald’s memory by encouraging children to study science. Alongside the other astronauts’ family members, Cheryl founded the Challenger Centre for Space Science Education in 1986. The Challenger Centre still exists today and has grown into a huge non-for-profit educational organization.

7. McNair was buried in Lake City

More than 1000 people attended a memorial for Ronald in Lake City, days after the Challenger tragedy. On May 18, 1986, the McNair family buried Ronald at the church in Lake City he attended as a child. After his long journey, Lake City’s greatest hero came home for good. 300+ people attended the funeral, and the procession reached half a mile in length. His tomb reads, ‘I urge you to go forth with the knowledge that you are better than good enough’. This is an inspirational quote from Ronald’s 1984 commencement address to the University of South Carolina.

6. The Challenger disaster prompted tighter safety regulations for subsequent missions

NASA immediately suspended all shuttle missions in the aftermath of the Challenger tragedy. President Ronald Reagan immediately launched the Rogers Commission to determine the cause of the explosion that took 7 lives. The report heavily criticized NASA and Morton-Thiokol, the company responsible for the rubber rings that failed. In response, NASA fundamentally changed its modus operandi, and improved safety for astronauts. It no longer accepted private contracts for launching satellites, and agreed to launch far fewer missions. This ensured technicians and shuttles were not overtaxed, thus protecting the astronauts. Astronaut safety has been far better ever since the Rogers Commission.

5. McNair’s story inspired African-Americans to aim high

In his lifetime, Ronald always had time for others, and through his local church worked directly to inspire children. His public speeches always spoke of equality, tolerance and determination. But as is often the case, his influence and example have only increased posthumously. Ronald is a fixture of Black History Month with good reason. Ronald rose from poverty in a small South Carolina town under Jim Crow laws to earn a Ph.D. from MIT and orbit the earth. It’s no surprise that countless African-Americans in all walks of life have found inspiration in Ronald’s story.

4. Neil deGrasse Tyson cites McNair as an inspiration

One particularly prominent admirer of Ronald is the astrophysicist and public scientist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Though only 8 years Ronald’s junior, Tyson didn’t get his Ph.D. until the age of 33, and drew inspiration from the astronaut. In particular, Ronald’s dual interest in athletics and academia appealed to keen amateur wrestler Tyson. ‘An astronaut who was also a black belt in karate [showed] an athletic hobby need not interfere with academic pursuits’, he once said. Tyson has also used his platform to increase awareness and interest in science across all demographics, just like Ronald.

3. The US Department of Education offers a scholarship named after McNair

Beyond his influence as an inspirational figure, Ronald’s name is attached to more literal educational schemes befitting of his memory. Most famous is the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program offered by the US Department of Education. This scholarship aims to encourage and enable students from underrepresented and disadvantaged demographics to pursue doctoral work. In 1996, the Dr. Ronald E. McNair Educational Science Literacy Foundation (DREME) was launched. The DREME Foundation aims to assist in teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It also offers schools for children of all ages and several scholarships. Such aims were close to Ronald’s heart.

2. Numerous High Schools and even a crater on the moon are named after McNair

There are far too many things named after Ronald to list, so we’ll mention just a few notable examples. There are many schools named in his honor, buildings at universities including MIT and North Carolina AT&T, and public parks. Lake City has a memorial park and boulevard named after Ronald, and renamed his old high school, Carver, after him. A crater on the moon is simply named McNair, and several planetariums bear his famous name. All are fitting tributes to a true American hero, but there’s one other place named after Ronald that deserves its own section…

1. Remember that racist library? Well, it’s now named in McNair’s honor

In 2011, Lake City renamed the library that refused to lend 9-year-old Ronald books had a significant rebrand. 52 years after the cops arrived to find their suspect to be a polite little boy, the library became the Ronald McNair Life History Centre. The Centre houses a museum dedicated to the life of the astronaut and physicist. Today, the library where Ronald found inspiration and education against all odds inspires the next generation of scientists. It’s a sign of how much things have changed for the better, and a fitting last laugh for Ronald.

Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

Clendinen, Dudley. “Astronaut Buried in Carolina; 35-Year ‘Mission’ is Complete.” New York Times, May 18, 1986.

Clendinen, Dudley. “Two Pathes to the Stars: Turnings and Triumphs; Ronald McNair.” New York Times, February 9, 1986.

Paul, Richard. We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015.

Smith, Bruce. “Hundreds Attend Memorial For Astronaut McNair With AM-Shuttle-Churches, Bjt.” Associated Press News, February 3, 1986.

Vaughan, Diane. The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture and Deviance at NASA. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996

Williams, Scott. “Ronald E. McNair, Physicist of the African Diaspora.” Physicists of the African Diaspora.