Ronald McNair
Ronald McNair | |
|---|---|
McNair in 1985 | |
| Born | Ronald Erwin McNair October 21, 1950 |
| Died | January 28, 1986 (aged 35) North Atlantic Ocean |
| Cause of death | Space Shuttle Challenger disaster |
| Education | North Carolina A&T State University (BS) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS, PhD) |
| Awards | Congressional Space Medal of Honor |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 7d 23h 15m |
| Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
| Missions | STS-41-B STS-51-L |
Mission insignia | |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | Energy Absorption and Vibrational Heating in Molecules Following Intense Laser Excitation (1977) |
| Doctoral advisor | Michael Stephen Feld |
Ronald Erwin McNair (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was an American NASA astronaut and physicist. He died at the age of 35 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, McNair flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-B aboard Challenger from February 3 to 11, 1984, becoming the second black American in space.