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Born October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina, Ronald McNair achieved early success as both a student and an athlete
at Carver High School, Lake City, South Carolina. He graduated in 1967 as valedictorian
and enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University
where he graduated magna cum laude in 1971 with a B.S. degree in Physics. He went on to earn a
Doctor of Philosophy in physics from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1976, where he specialized in quantum electronic and laser technology. As a student, he
performed some of the earliest work on chemical HF/DF and high pressure CO lasers, publishing path-breaking scientific papers on the subject.
After completing his Ph.D., he began working as a physicist at the Optical Physics Department of Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu,
California, and conducted research on electro-optic laser modulation for satellite-to-satellite space communications.
In January 1978, NASA selected him to enter the astronaut cadre, making him one of the first three Black Americans selected. Dr McNair died on January
28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after launch from the Kennedy Space Center.
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