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.
