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Cosmonaut / Astronaut · National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Ronald McNair

Mission Specialist on STS-51-L, a physicist and the second African-American in space.
Spaceflights
Portrait of mission specialist Ronald McNair.
Born
21 Oct 1950
Died
28 Jan 1986
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1

Biography

Born 21 October 1950 in Lake City, South Carolina. He studied physics and earned a PhD in laser physics from MIT in 1976. In 1984 he flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-B, becoming the second African-American in space. On Challenger's STS-51-L he flew his second and final mission.

Missions

Spaceflights

Official STS-51-L mission patch with the names of the seven crew members.

28 January 1986

STS-51-L

STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth mission of the Space Shuttle program. On 28 January 1986, 73 seconds after launch, the orbiter Challenger broke apart when a frost-embrittled O-ring in its right solid rocket booster failed — the entire seven-member crew died, including teacher Christa McAuliffe.

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Timeline

Career at a glance

  1. 1950Born21 October 1950
  2. 1986STS-51-L28 January 1986
  3. 1986Died28 January 1986

Crews

Flew together

Dick ScobeeCosmonaut / AstronautDick ScobeeSTS-51-LMichael J. SmithCosmonaut / AstronautMichael J. SmithSTS-51-LEllison OnizukaCosmonaut / AstronautEllison OnizukaSTS-51-LJudith ResnikCosmonaut / AstronautJudith ResnikSTS-51-LChrista McAuliffeCosmonaut / AstronautChrista McAuliffeSTS-51-LGregory JarvisCosmonaut / AstronautGregory JarvisSTS-51-L
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