Ronald McNair

Ronald McNair
McNair in 1978
Born	Ronald Erwin McNair (1950-10-21)October 21, 1950 Lake City, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	January 28, 1986(1986-01-28) (aged 35) North Atlantic Ocean
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 (disaster)
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 African American in space.