The sax-playing physicist and NASA astronaut died alongside six others when the Challenger space shuttle disintegrated on January 28, 1986.
During a 2013 conversation with the nonprofit StoryCorps, Dr. Ronald McNair’s older brother said what some people saw as science fiction, his brother saw as “science possibility.”
The younger McNair was among the first Black people selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 1978, and in 1984 became the second Black man in space.
This week marks 40 years since millions watched their televisions in horror as his second mission turned fatal. The NASA Challenger space shuttle exploded just seconds after takeoff, killing all seven onboard.
McNair was 35 years old.
In the Word In Black video below, we dive into McNair’s inspiring and multifaceted life which included jazz bands, karate, and, of course, a decades-long love for space.