Ronald McNair: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
==Biography== |
==Biography== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
A native of [[Lake City, South Carolina]], McNair received a B.S. in [[physics]] from [[North Carolina A&T State University]] in 1971, and a Ph.D. in the same discipline from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) in 1977. He was also honored with honorary doctorates in 1978, 1980 and 1984. |
|||
He was a fifth-degree black belt [[karate]] instructor and had won five regional championships. Among many other studies in the field of [[physics]], McNair had conducted research on the scientific foundations of the martial arts. Additionally, he was a member of [[Omega Psi Phi]] fraternity. |
|||
After graduation from MIT, he became a staff physicist at the [[Hughes Research Laboratories]] in [[Malibu, California]]. |
|||
During the 1970s, actress [[Nichelle Nichols]] of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' fame was employed by [[NASA]] to recruit minority candidates for the [[space program]]. McNair was chosen for the process, selected for the astronaut program in 1978, and flew on a ''Challenger'' mission in February 1984 as a mission specialist. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
==Public honors== |
==Public honors== |
||
Revision as of 18:53, 29 January 2009
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (February 2008) |
Ronald Ervin McNair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Physicist |
| Space career | |
| NASA Astronaut | |
Time in space | 7d 23h 15m |
| Selection | 1978 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-41-B, STS-51-L |
Mission insignia |   |
Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was an American physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair perished during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.
Biography
A Jean Michel Jarre on a piece of music, Rendez-vous VI. It was intended that he would record his saxophone solo on board Challenger, making it the first piece of music played in space. After the disaster, the piece was renamed
Public honors
A variety of public places and people have been renamed in honor of McNair.
- The crater McNair on the Moon is named in his honor.
- Watson Chapel Jr. High has changed its name to R. McNair Jr. High School.
- McNair Elementary School in Compton, California is named in his honor.
- Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School (MAHS)- Jersey City, NJ
- Ronald McNair Boulevard in Lake City, South Carolina is named in his honor and lies near other streets named for astronauts who perished in the Challenger crash.
- The U.S. Department of Education offers the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program for disadvantaged students.
- In Florence, South Carolina, there is a Ronald McNair Math and Science Center at Francis Marion University.
- Several K-12 schools have also been named after McNair.
- Ronald E. McNair Middle School in Lake City, South Carolina was renamed from Carver High School in his honor (he was a high school graduate of the facility).
- Dr. Ronald Ervin McNair Academic High School in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Ronald McNair Elementary School in Germantown, Maryland
- Ronald Ervin McNair High School in Atlanta, Georgia
- Ronald McNair Middle School in Decatur, Georgia
- Ronald McNair Middle School in College Park, Georgia
- Ronald McNair Elementary School in University City, Missouri
- Ronald Ervin McNair Elementary School in Denton, Texas (Denton ISD)
- Ronald McNair Middle School in Rockledge, Florida
- Ronald E. McNair Elementary School in Dallas, Texas (Dallas ISD)
- Ronald McNair Middle School[1] in East Palo Alto, California
- Ronald Ervin McNair High School in Stockton, California
- The Ronald McNair School in Cambria Heights, New York
- A building on the Willowridge High School campus in Houston, Texas is named in honor of Dr. McNair. There is a memorial in Ronald McNair Park in Brooklyn, New York [2] [3].
- Inside the Davis Planetarium in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, the Ronald E. McNair Space Theater is named in his honor.
- The Naval ROTC building on the campus of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is named in his honor.
- The Engineering building at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC is named in his honor.
- The McNair Building at MIT houses the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
- The McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which operates at 179 campuses in the U.S. (April 07), awards research money and internships to first-generation and otherwise underrepresented students in preparation for graduate work. [4]
Popular culture
McNair was portrayed by Joe Morton in the 1990 TV movie Challenger. There is a one man show about his life titled Black Eagle.
See also
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ronald McNair.
- McNair Foundation to encourage and mentor science, mathematics and technology students
- Spacefacts biography of Ronald McNair
- Ronald E. McNair Post - Baccalaureate Achievement Program
- Ronald McNair at Find a Grave
- Ronald McNair at Find a Grave
 | Main articles |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | |||
| See also |
| ||