Ronald mcnair accomplishments meaning
Ronald mcnair accomplishments meaning dictionary...
Ronald McNair
(1950-1986)
Who Was Ronald McNair?Ronald mcnair accomplishments meaning
Ronald McNair was an MIT-trained physicist who specialized in laser research before joining NASA in the late 1970s. In February 1984, he became just the second African American to reach space, serving as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.
On January 28, 1986, he was one of the seven crew members killed when the Challenger shockingly exploded 73 seconds after liftoff.
Early Life
Ronald Erwin McNair was born on October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina.
The second of three boys born to Carl, a mechanic, and Pearl, a teacher, McNair displayed an early aptitude for technical matters, earning the nickname "Gizmo."
McNair's interest in space was piqued by the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik in 1957, and boosted by the appearance of Star Trek on TV years later, its multi-ethnic cast pushing the boundaries of what was possible for a small-town African American boy.
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