Ronald E. McNair Building Dedication, Center for Space Research (1986)

On Dec. 5, 1986, MIT dedicated Building 37, home to the Center for Space Research, and part of the aeronautics and astronautics department, to Ronald E. McNair PhD ’76. During McNair’s second flight in space, he lost his life along with six other astronauts when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. This special ceremony features speakers Cheryl M. McNair, Ronald McNair’s widow, McNair’s thesis supervisor Michael S. Feld ’63, David S. Saxon (Chairman of the MIT Board of Trustees), Shirley A. Jackson Ph.D. ’73, astronaut Charles F. Bolden, Jr., and MIT President Paul E. Gray ’54. The MIT Gospel Choir concludes the ceremony.