Liftoff Videos

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Ronald McNair

Portrait photograph of Ronald McNair

Photo: NASA / Public domain (US government work)

Ronald McNair (1950–1986) was an American physicist and NASA astronaut from Lake City, South Carolina, with a doctorate in physics from MIT. In February 1984 he flew on Challenger on STS-41-B and became the second African American in space. He returned as a mission specialist on STS-51-L. The shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after launch on January 28, 1986, and all seven crew members died. He was 35. He had planned to record a saxophone piece in orbit.

Born
21 October 1950
Died
28 January 1986
Country
United States
Flights
2: STS-41-B (1984), STS-51-L (1986)
Time in space
7 days 23 hours

Data as of 2 November 2026. Source: Wikidata (CC0). All people who have flown in space.

Events

Videos on this topic

The videos, in date order

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  1. Challenger STS-51L: How Cold O-Rings Led to the 1986 Disaster

    Mr. Beat

  2. Challenger STS-51-L: The 73 Seconds From Liftoff to Breakup

    The Infographics Show

  3. Challenger 51-L: From Teacher in Space to the Loss of Seven Crew

    National Geographic

  4. Challenger: How a Cold-Weather O-Ring Failure Led to the Disaster

    Free Documentary – Space

  5. Challenger STS-51-L: Cold, O-Rings and the Rogers Commission

    DocuReal

  6. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Failure, Cold Launch and Return to Flight

    FilmRise Television

  7. Challenger STS-51-L: The Night Engineers Said Don’t Launch

    Margin of Loss

  8. Challenger STS-51-L: The Seals, the Cold and 73 Seconds

    Horror Archive

  9. Challenger: How Thiokol’s Engineers Were Overruled the Night Before

    Hubris Engine

  10. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Rings, Cold and the Overruled Warning

    Cindermap

  11. Challenger STS-51-L: The Cold O-Ring and the Launch Call

    Matter & Empire

  12. Challenger STS-51-L: The O-Ring Warning and the 73-Second Flight

    CliphangerEntertainment

  13. Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

    The Record Institute
Play video: Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

The Record Institute

Duration 10:37

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

All the videos

  1. Challenger: How Thiokol’s Engineers Were Overruled the Night Before

    DocumentaryHubris Engine · 9:18

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  2. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Rings, Cold and the Overruled Warning

    DocumentaryCindermap · 14:58

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  3. Challenger STS-51-L: The O-Ring Warning and the 73-Second Flight

    DocumentaryCliphangerEntertainment · 5:20

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  5. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Failure, Cold Launch and Return to Flight

    DocumentaryFilmRise Television · 46:49

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  6. Challenger STS-51-L: The Night Engineers Said Don’t Launch

    DocumentaryMargin of Loss · 21:26

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  7. Challenger STS-51-L: The Seals, the Cold and 73 Seconds

    DocumentaryHorror Archive · 28:39

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  8. Challenger STS-51-L: The Cold O-Ring and the Launch Call

    DocumentaryMatter & Empire · 21:46

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  9. Challenger: How a Cold-Weather O-Ring Failure Led to the Disaster

    DocumentaryFree Documentary – Space · 48:08

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  10. Challenger STS-51-L: The 73 Seconds From Liftoff to Breakup

    DocumentaryThe Infographics Show · 27:42

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  11. Challenger 51-L: From Teacher in Space to the Loss of Seven Crew

    DocumentaryNational Geographic · 44:24

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  12. Challenger STS-51L: How Cold O-Rings Led to the 1986 Disaster

    DocumentaryMr. Beat · 6:57

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  13. Challenger STS-51-L: Cold, O-Rings and the Rogers Commission

    DocumentaryDocuReal · 42:24

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

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