In honor of Black History Month – The life and legacy of Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair – 2nd Black American in space and first to play a saxophone in space
In honor of Black History Month – The life and legacy of Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair – 2nd Black American in space and first to play a saxophone in space
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The Challenger Higginbotham book gives such a vivid picture of the man. I struggled to find an online video or biography that does him justice. Really recommend reading the book and learning about this incredibly smart, hyper motivated scientist.
Most people probably know the story of the segregated [library that called the cops on Ron](https://afrotech.com/ronald-mcnair-was-once-turned-away-from-this-library-for-being-black) which is now named for him.
His name also graces [a truly incredible scholarship program](https://mcnairscholars.com/about/) that targets increasing “attainment of PhD degrees by students from underrepresented segments of society.” I knew some McNair Scholars in college but had no idea the program they were part of was named after Ron.
McNair also [took a special saxophone to space](https://www.blackhistory.mit.edu/archive/ron-mcnair-plays-sax-space-1984) on his first shuttle mission but no recording of the performance exists. He was to play live from space with Jean-Michel Jarre on the second mission but the Challenger accident prevented it. [The piece is hauntingly beautiful.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtGG1WLP1pk)
The National Space Center in the UK has [a great biography of Ron here.](https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/news/space-now-blog/space-stories-ronald-mcnair/)
I was a McNair scholar and I cannot speak highly enough of the program. Their people went above and beyond. They were able to get me a bunch of grant money and paid for me to attend multiple conferences. It was an amazing experience. Much love to Ron and his legacy 🙂