McNair, Ronald (1950-1986), a United States astronaut and physicist, became the second African American in space. Guion Bluford , who flew in 1983, was the first. McNair first flew aboard the space shuttle Challenger on Feb. 3, 1984. He was one of seven astronauts killed when Challenger exploded on a later mission on Jan. 28, 1986 (see Challenger disaster ).
McNair’s first mission deployed (released) two satellites . McNair, a mission specialist , operated a robotic arm that moved payloads (cargo) outside the shuttle. Challenger returned to Earth on Feb. 11, 1984.
McNair’s second flight was as a mission specialist aboard Challenger in 1986. The purpose of that flight was to deploy satellites to observe Halley’s Comet . Challenger exploded shortly after launch.
Ronald Erwin McNair was born on Oct. 21, 1950, in Lake City (east of Columbia), South Carolina . McNair played baseball, basketball, and football in high school and graduated as valedictorian of his class. He attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in physics in 1971. McNair graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a Ph.D. degree in physics in 1976. He played saxophone in high school and college.
McNair became a physicist at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, in 1976. He helped to conduct research on the use of lasers in satellite communications. McNair was one of 35 scientists selected for astronaut training by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in early 1978.
