January 29, 2025 • 17 mins
ICYMI: ‘Later, with Mo’Kelly’ Presents – An in-depth conversation with Author, Inspirational Speaker Carl S. McNair regarding the “Space Shuttle ‘Challenger’ 39th Commemoration” and continuing the legacy of younger brother, Astronaut Ronald E. McNair, who perished on ‘Challenger STS-51l’ - KFI AM 640…Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Oh winmo Kelly kfi AM six forty y is later
with Moe Kelly were Live Everywhere on the iHeartRadio app
In nineteen seventy eight, doctor Ronald McNair was selected as
one of thirty five applicants from a pool of ten
thousand for the NASA Astronaut Program.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
McNair flew as a mission specialist on STS forty one B,
a board Space Shuttle Challenger, back on February third through
February eleventh, nineteen eighty four, becoming the second African American
to fly in space. But on January twenty eighth, nineteen
eighty six, thirty nine years ago. Today, McNair Paris is
part of the Challenger crew.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Nine ers ken nine eight seven six. We have main
engines start four three two one and liftoff liftoff of
the twenty fifth Face Shuttle.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Mission and it as clear as the tower.
Speaker 5 (01:01):
Roger Challenger.
Speaker 6 (01:06):
ConTroll program confirmed. Challenger now heading down range engines beginning
throttling down now at ninety four percent normal throttles for
most of the plant one hundred and four percent. We
(01:28):
will throttle down to sixty five percent shortly one minute
fifteen seconds. Flocidy twenty nine hundred feet per second altitude
nine nautical mouths down range, just at seven naugle miles.
Speaker 7 (01:47):
It looks like a couple of the solid rocket boosters
blew away from the side of the shuttle in an explosion.
Speaker 6 (01:56):
Controllers here looking very carefully at the situation. Obviously a
major malfunction.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Have no downey right now. His older brother, Carl McNair,
founder of McNair Achievement Programs, author and STEM education consultant,
joins me now on the show as we pay remembrance
to him and the rest of the Challenger crew. Carl,
my friend. Great to talk to you again. How have
you been.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
Oh, I'm doing very well. Brother Mo. Did I call
you brother Moe?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yes, you can't because we are brothers, that's right. Aside
from your brother, your younger brother's exploits, his academic exploits,
which included a PhD in physics from MIT. Ronald McNair
was a saxophonist, a jazz enthusiast. He was a man
of Omega Sci Fi fraternity like you and me. He
was a fifth degree black belt in karate. When I
(02:49):
was a young teenager, I wanted to be Ronald McNair.
But who was your brother beyond what most often is
publicly shared.
Speaker 8 (02:58):
Well, Ron was like any of many people think he
was like a bookworm.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
But Ron was. As we were growing up, he was.
Speaker 8 (03:05):
On the football team and the baseball team, ran track
and just like any other kid. But he had a
satiable theft for knowledge. That was Ron in the nutshell.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
When he was doing his thing being a baseball diamond
or track field or any of his other exploits, did
you see something in him which said he's not going
to choose any of that. He's going to be a scientist.
He is going to do something in the stem field.
Speaker 8 (03:35):
Yes, not to mention that he was very good at
science and math, and as he was very good at
the sports and what have you. But I think this
was this particular time when he had a le accident
at home where he cast his kneecap, and instead of
going through the pain and agony of having gassed your
(03:56):
your your kneecap, he started showing me the ligaments and
the us So I knew something was strange about me.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
What was home like for you and your family? Were
your parents really tough on you as far as school?
Did they encourage you to pursue certain careers. What was
life like growing up in the McNair household.
Speaker 8 (04:19):
Well, my mother only went to the eleventh grade. Rather more,
my father only went to the eighth grade, and my
mother only went to eleventh grade because they would allow
black people to go past the eleventh grade in this
segregated town in South Carolina. But she did find a
way to go on to school. And we saw her
(04:42):
the nasty throughout our lives and all for education, and
I think that inspired us. My dad he would say, hey, look,
whatever you want to do, just be a just do it.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
Well, if you're going to be a bomb, be a
good bomb. That was his advice.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Do you remember when or was there a singular moment
when doctor Minair maybe came to you and said, Carl,
I have this dream of becoming an astronaut or I'm
going to apply for the NASA astronaut program. Do you
remember that moment. Was there a moment like that?
Speaker 8 (05:14):
Well, there was a like that, and I'll tell you
about that moment, but I'll.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Tell you how he got to that point.
Speaker 6 (05:21):
Ron.
Speaker 8 (05:22):
I remember, Ron had finished his education at A and
T where he and I started at the same time.
That's North Carolina, A and T and Greensboro, North Carolina.
And it was through A and T where he got
the opportunities to spend a summer at MIT and thereby
having a look at Mit, Mit had to look at him,
(05:45):
and he knew the professors, and that made it I
won't say easier, but sometimes when you made relationships and
connections in your network, it makes it a little easier.
But it wasn't before he had some self doubts early
on why he was at A and C whether he
could compete, because he ran into these guys who was
in the physics program, and they came from the school
(06:08):
Swamp North. They had all of these great math and
science courses. In fact, they had physics, thermodynamics and classical
mechanics and had modern physics. And Ron only had a
class of physics one oh one taught by a teacher
who never saw a book of physics. So he came
in at a disadvantage, almost quit but to become a
(06:29):
music major.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
But his advisor, which.
Speaker 8 (06:33):
You could only find, we'd like to think that way,
but usually at HPCUS you'll find folks who will make
certain that you get what you need. She encouraged him
to go try physics. That was the confidence that he needed.
He went on and try try physics, and the rest
is history.
Speaker 7 (06:50):
It was a bitter, cold, but sparkling clear morning at
Cape canaveral man and here at the last seconds of
the countdown.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Three two one and lift off, left off solve the
twenty fifth base Shuttle mission and it as clear as
the tower.
Speaker 7 (07:05):
All the communications between the shuttle and mission control indicated
everything was going fine. There was a sense of relief
that the much delayed flight was finally underway.
Speaker 6 (07:14):
Engines had sixty five percent, three engines are running normally,
three good fuel deals, three good APUs engines throttling up,
three engines and owin one hundred and four percent.
Speaker 7 (07:23):
Challenger goh it throttle up. It happened just over one
minute into flight.
Speaker 6 (07:33):
One minute fifteen seconds, flanty twenty nine hundred pet per second,
altitude nine augo miles down range distance seven aug a mile.
Speaker 7 (07:41):
Our mission control silence. Then the bland chilling report.
Speaker 6 (07:51):
We have a report from the flight dynamics officer that
the vehicle has exploded. Flight director confirms that we are
looking at checking with the recovery forces to see what
can be done at this.
Speaker 7 (08:02):
Point, A search effort couldn't begin for some fifteen minutes
after this debris they said, just kept raining.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
From the sky.
Speaker 7 (08:09):
The head of the Space Shuttle program had no explanations,
just sorrow at the tragedy.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
At eleven forty am this morning, Space program experience our
national tragedy with the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Approximately a minute and a half have to launch from
here at the Kennedy Space Center.
Speaker 7 (08:29):
Computer enhanced video shows the explosion in detail. What explosion
appears to happen at the rear of the spacecraft, around
the main engines, perhaps in one of the two solid
rocket boosters. Then up last, higher up, the Shuttle was
instantly a blazing fireball. NASA has appointed a committee of
top engineers and scientists to investigate the catastrophe. Orders have
(08:51):
been issued to impound all records concerning the flight, down
to the personal notes of all the flight controllers. Dan Molina,
NBC News at the Johnson Space Center, Houston.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
On the line right now is Carl McNair, the older
brother of doctor Ronald McNair, who perished thirty nine years
ago today on Challenger fifty one. L if you old
enough to remember it changed history. We'll have more with
Carl McNair in just a moment.
Speaker 9 (09:18):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
And I'm right in the middle of a very special conversation.
On this day, thirty nine years ago, STS fifty one
l Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. If you old enough like
me to remember, it changed history. Right now on the
line with me is Carl McNair, the older brother of
doctor Ronald McNair, who perished along with six other astronauts
(09:47):
on this day thirty nine years ago. And Carl, I
think I remember, and I know you remember the Space
Shuttle program. It was after the Apollo missions. The mandate,
the direction of the space program was just different. What
was your brother's aspiration beyond the Space Shuttle program? Did
he want to go maybe one day, back to the
(10:08):
move Where did he think his astronaut career would take him?
Speaker 8 (10:12):
Well, all along Ronald wanted to be a college professor,
But when the opportunity came to apply to NASA, he
knew there was a latent desire to become an astronaut.
But remember now, during the dark times of the Gemini
and Apollo. You had to be military, you had to
be a fighter pilot, you had to.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Be twenty twenty visions. You didn't You couldn't be black.
Speaker 8 (10:35):
And of course he certainly didn't fit the requirement of
being a fighter pilot because he never looked.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Playing, never was in the military.
Speaker 8 (10:41):
So when the Space Shuttle program came around, this was
NASA's opportunity to have.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
A more diverse space program.
Speaker 8 (10:52):
So you had women, you had other ethnicities like white,
et cetera. And that's when he took advantage of that.
That's how he took advantage of it. And there was
always this laten designs. I said, I think Star Trek
that was a big plus for a lot of young
people to consider science degrees or work in the area
(11:14):
of science or stam if you will. And the prom
was motivated Prome by one person more so than anyone else,
and that was Lieutenant Yehora played by Michelle Nichols on
Star Trek. Let me tell you, folks will go back
that time to understand that was hour halle Berry doing
those ladies.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Carl Let me ask you this because I have to
ask you within the context of what's going on today.
The whole idea of DEI diversity equity inclusion is controversial
for lack of a better description, and it's been met
with a lot of resistance. But you're telling me, if
not for the public calls to diversify NASA, we would
(11:57):
not have heard about doctor Ronald McNair or his ex
world or his contributions within NASA. Is that correct?
Speaker 8 (12:03):
Absolutely? And probably for women as well. They didn't have
any women and it was the New Space Program where
they had decided to diversify. I might add that was
under the administration Jimmy Carter, President Jimmy Carter's administration, So
that kind of kind of fits, doesn't it, And so
that's how that came about.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
It would be very challenging today. I thought about this recently.
Speaker 8 (12:25):
Obviously, that would being that I posted a picture of
the Space Shuttle Challenger fifty one L crew and I
thought to myself, would this have been possible today?
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Would have been possible?
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Since we're there, let's talk about it now directly. I
remember where I was when I got the news that
the Challenger Space Shuttle fifty one L had exploded shortly
after takeoff thirty nine years ago. This week. I was
a junior in high school. I was walking in between
Spanish and ap English classes. I remember the cloud around
the very public investigation afterward. You know, all this is
(13:02):
just like seared in my memory. There have been plenty
of documentaries and movies over the years, and Karl McNair,
I've known you for some twenty years and I've never
asked you, but I'm asking you now. Have we, the
general public, or at least the families, gotten the full
truth surrounding Challenger?
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Quite frankly, we have no real idea.
Speaker 8 (13:24):
We know with some of the reports, we've seen some
documentaries and found out more, but the answer is no.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
How do you look upon that some thirty nine years later.
Speaker 8 (13:35):
Well, I'm very actor, quite frankly, as somebody said, whatever
they tell me, it's not going to bring Ron back,
not going to bring in idle of the crew back.
So I focus on the positive. As you well know,
we have a lot of mcneir's scholars program.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
We have over five.
Speaker 8 (13:54):
Thousand mcnear's scholars program mcnehir's scholars in the program right now.
We've seen go on to do remarkable things in the
areas of science, technology, engineering, math, as well as other
profession as well. You know, for instance, Congresswoman Natima Williams
from Georgia, she's a McNair scholar, and there's others who
have achieved great things who are mcneir's scholars.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
And it had it not been for.
Speaker 8 (14:18):
The program, as I hear her from a person as
early as today, and had not been for that program,
they never would.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
Have achieved the level of success that they have.
Speaker 8 (14:28):
And the whole idea is inspired them be going to
graduate school ultimately to get a PhD or some other
doctor degree and return and be that person in front
of the classroom that many of them found themselves absent of.
So that's the essence of the program.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Carlbing there, My time is running short with you, but
I know earlier this evening and I appreciate you coming
on on such short notice. But earlier this evening there
was a candle light visual for doctor McNair as doctor
Ronald E. McNair Life History Memorial Park in Lake City,
South Carolina, where he was born. This is an annual
event to keep his memory alive. Along those lines, what
do you hear from the young people who may not
(15:08):
have any memory of him, but are now first learning
about him, well.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
We've found over the years. So the first thing young
people must do be exposed to possibilities out there.
Speaker 8 (15:20):
As you occurred before, you can't be what you can't see,
and so we showed them not only the professionals who
are in those areas as well. The Cantillot Visuals is
the annual annual event, if you will, to remember in
our small town, Lake City, South Carolina, when we were
(15:40):
coming along, it was no more than population what two thousand,
now maybe it's around eight if.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
He fludge it a little bit.
Speaker 8 (15:48):
And people need to remember that here was a country
bar from Lake City, South Carolina. As I mentioned, population
two thousand and segregated South Carolina was almost thrown out
the library. But he came out of this environment went
on to become an astronaut. And it was because of
(16:10):
the upbringing the school teachers at the.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Time that we had. And we remember, we remember.
Speaker 8 (16:16):
The school teachers as well, if it had not been
for them to inspire Ron to go to the Sower
program at Virginia Union, which is another HBCU, and that's
when he got the idea from a professor that he
could go all the way to the PhD. Didn't know
what it was.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
But he was going to receive a PhD out there
learning that that was the highest academic level that you
could achieve.
Speaker 8 (16:38):
So that was the spark right there that carried him
on and some great advisors.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
And he didn't get there by himself.
Speaker 8 (16:45):
I want anybody to think that he just you know,
got to that level by himself, but people along the
line I called him guarding an agents to looking over
shielder and make certainly it takes the right direction.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
He is Carl McNair, founder of McNair Achievement program, author
and STEM Education consultant. He, like me and doctor Ronald McNair,
are men of Omega Sci Fi Fraternity Incorporated. Ral McNair,
I said it early, I'll stay it again. I've known
you for about twenty years. I've appreciated our dialogues off
air about your brother and your brother's achievements, and I
(17:19):
want to celebrate you and yours as well. Thank you
for coming on this show tonight, and let's keep Ronald
McNair's memory alive.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
Thank you, brother. Kelly.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
It's later with Moe Kelly KF. I am six forty.
We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app you're
Speaker 9 (17:34):
Listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI
AM six forty
Oh winmo Kelly kfi AM six forty y is later
with Moe Kelly were Live Everywhere on the iHeartRadio app
In nineteen seventy eight, doctor Ronald McNair was selected as
one of thirty five applicants from a pool of ten
thousand for the NASA Astronaut Program.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
McNair flew as a mission specialist on STS forty one B,
a board Space Shuttle Challenger, back on February third through
February eleventh, nineteen eighty four, becoming the second African American
to fly in space. But on January twenty eighth, nineteen
eighty six, thirty nine years ago. Today, McNair Paris is
part of the Challenger crew.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Nine ers ken nine eight seven six. We have main
engines start four three two one and liftoff liftoff of
the twenty fifth Face Shuttle.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Mission and it as clear as the tower.
Speaker 5 (01:01):
Roger Challenger.
Speaker 6 (01:06):
ConTroll program confirmed. Challenger now heading down range engines beginning
throttling down now at ninety four percent normal throttles for
most of the plant one hundred and four percent. We
(01:28):
will throttle down to sixty five percent shortly one minute
fifteen seconds. Flocidy twenty nine hundred feet per second altitude
nine nautical mouths down range, just at seven naugle miles.
Speaker 7 (01:47):
It looks like a couple of the solid rocket boosters
blew away from the side of the shuttle in an explosion.
Speaker 6 (01:56):
Controllers here looking very carefully at the situation. Obviously a
major malfunction.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Have no downey right now. His older brother, Carl McNair,
founder of McNair Achievement Programs, author and STEM education consultant,
joins me now on the show as we pay remembrance
to him and the rest of the Challenger crew. Carl,
my friend. Great to talk to you again. How have
you been.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
Oh, I'm doing very well. Brother Mo. Did I call
you brother Moe?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yes, you can't because we are brothers, that's right. Aside
from your brother, your younger brother's exploits, his academic exploits,
which included a PhD in physics from MIT. Ronald McNair
was a saxophonist, a jazz enthusiast. He was a man
of Omega Sci Fi fraternity like you and me. He
was a fifth degree black belt in karate. When I
(02:49):
was a young teenager, I wanted to be Ronald McNair.
But who was your brother beyond what most often is
publicly shared.
Speaker 8 (02:58):
Well, Ron was like any of many people think he
was like a bookworm.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
But Ron was. As we were growing up, he was.
Speaker 8 (03:05):
On the football team and the baseball team, ran track
and just like any other kid. But he had a
satiable theft for knowledge. That was Ron in the nutshell.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
When he was doing his thing being a baseball diamond
or track field or any of his other exploits, did
you see something in him which said he's not going
to choose any of that. He's going to be a scientist.
He is going to do something in the stem field.
Speaker 8 (03:35):
Yes, not to mention that he was very good at
science and math, and as he was very good at
the sports and what have you. But I think this
was this particular time when he had a le accident
at home where he cast his kneecap, and instead of
going through the pain and agony of having gassed your
(03:56):
your your kneecap, he started showing me the ligaments and
the us So I knew something was strange about me.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
What was home like for you and your family? Were
your parents really tough on you as far as school?
Did they encourage you to pursue certain careers. What was
life like growing up in the McNair household.
Speaker 8 (04:19):
Well, my mother only went to the eleventh grade. Rather more,
my father only went to the eighth grade, and my
mother only went to eleventh grade because they would allow
black people to go past the eleventh grade in this
segregated town in South Carolina. But she did find a
way to go on to school. And we saw her
(04:42):
the nasty throughout our lives and all for education, and
I think that inspired us. My dad he would say, hey, look,
whatever you want to do, just be a just do it.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
Well, if you're going to be a bomb, be a
good bomb. That was his advice.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Do you remember when or was there a singular moment
when doctor Minair maybe came to you and said, Carl,
I have this dream of becoming an astronaut or I'm
going to apply for the NASA astronaut program. Do you
remember that moment. Was there a moment like that?
Speaker 8 (05:14):
Well, there was a like that, and I'll tell you
about that moment, but I'll.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Tell you how he got to that point.
Speaker 6 (05:21):
Ron.
Speaker 8 (05:22):
I remember, Ron had finished his education at A and
T where he and I started at the same time.
That's North Carolina, A and T and Greensboro, North Carolina.
And it was through A and T where he got
the opportunities to spend a summer at MIT and thereby
having a look at Mit, Mit had to look at him,
(05:45):
and he knew the professors, and that made it I
won't say easier, but sometimes when you made relationships and
connections in your network, it makes it a little easier.
But it wasn't before he had some self doubts early
on why he was at A and C whether he
could compete, because he ran into these guys who was
in the physics program, and they came from the school
(06:08):
Swamp North. They had all of these great math and
science courses. In fact, they had physics, thermodynamics and classical
mechanics and had modern physics. And Ron only had a
class of physics one oh one taught by a teacher
who never saw a book of physics. So he came
in at a disadvantage, almost quit but to become a
(06:29):
music major.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
But his advisor, which.
Speaker 8 (06:33):
You could only find, we'd like to think that way,
but usually at HPCUS you'll find folks who will make
certain that you get what you need. She encouraged him
to go try physics. That was the confidence that he needed.
He went on and try try physics, and the rest
is history.
Speaker 7 (06:50):
It was a bitter, cold, but sparkling clear morning at
Cape canaveral man and here at the last seconds of
the countdown.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Three two one and lift off, left off solve the
twenty fifth base Shuttle mission and it as clear as
the tower.
Speaker 7 (07:05):
All the communications between the shuttle and mission control indicated
everything was going fine. There was a sense of relief
that the much delayed flight was finally underway.
Speaker 6 (07:14):
Engines had sixty five percent, three engines are running normally,
three good fuel deals, three good APUs engines throttling up,
three engines and owin one hundred and four percent.
Speaker 7 (07:23):
Challenger goh it throttle up. It happened just over one
minute into flight.
Speaker 6 (07:33):
One minute fifteen seconds, flanty twenty nine hundred pet per second,
altitude nine augo miles down range distance seven aug a mile.
Speaker 7 (07:41):
Our mission control silence. Then the bland chilling report.
Speaker 6 (07:51):
We have a report from the flight dynamics officer that
the vehicle has exploded. Flight director confirms that we are
looking at checking with the recovery forces to see what
can be done at this.
Speaker 7 (08:02):
Point, A search effort couldn't begin for some fifteen minutes
after this debris they said, just kept raining.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
From the sky.
Speaker 7 (08:09):
The head of the Space Shuttle program had no explanations,
just sorrow at the tragedy.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
At eleven forty am this morning, Space program experience our
national tragedy with the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Approximately a minute and a half have to launch from
here at the Kennedy Space Center.
Speaker 7 (08:29):
Computer enhanced video shows the explosion in detail. What explosion
appears to happen at the rear of the spacecraft, around
the main engines, perhaps in one of the two solid
rocket boosters. Then up last, higher up, the Shuttle was
instantly a blazing fireball. NASA has appointed a committee of
top engineers and scientists to investigate the catastrophe. Orders have
(08:51):
been issued to impound all records concerning the flight, down
to the personal notes of all the flight controllers. Dan Molina,
NBC News at the Johnson Space Center, Houston.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
On the line right now is Carl McNair, the older
brother of doctor Ronald McNair, who perished thirty nine years
ago today on Challenger fifty one. L if you old
enough to remember it changed history. We'll have more with
Carl McNair in just a moment.
Speaker 9 (09:18):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
And I'm right in the middle of a very special conversation.
On this day, thirty nine years ago, STS fifty one
l Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. If you old enough like
me to remember, it changed history. Right now on the
line with me is Carl McNair, the older brother of
doctor Ronald McNair, who perished along with six other astronauts
(09:47):
on this day thirty nine years ago. And Carl, I
think I remember, and I know you remember the Space
Shuttle program. It was after the Apollo missions. The mandate,
the direction of the space program was just different. What
was your brother's aspiration beyond the Space Shuttle program? Did
he want to go maybe one day, back to the
(10:08):
move Where did he think his astronaut career would take him?
Speaker 8 (10:12):
Well, all along Ronald wanted to be a college professor,
But when the opportunity came to apply to NASA, he
knew there was a latent desire to become an astronaut.
But remember now, during the dark times of the Gemini
and Apollo. You had to be military, you had to
be a fighter pilot, you had to.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Be twenty twenty visions. You didn't You couldn't be black.
Speaker 8 (10:35):
And of course he certainly didn't fit the requirement of
being a fighter pilot because he never looked.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Playing, never was in the military.
Speaker 8 (10:41):
So when the Space Shuttle program came around, this was
NASA's opportunity to have.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
A more diverse space program.
Speaker 8 (10:52):
So you had women, you had other ethnicities like white,
et cetera. And that's when he took advantage of that.
That's how he took advantage of it. And there was
always this laten designs. I said, I think Star Trek
that was a big plus for a lot of young
people to consider science degrees or work in the area
(11:14):
of science or stam if you will. And the prom
was motivated Prome by one person more so than anyone else,
and that was Lieutenant Yehora played by Michelle Nichols on
Star Trek. Let me tell you, folks will go back
that time to understand that was hour halle Berry doing
those ladies.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Carl Let me ask you this because I have to
ask you within the context of what's going on today.
The whole idea of DEI diversity equity inclusion is controversial
for lack of a better description, and it's been met
with a lot of resistance. But you're telling me, if
not for the public calls to diversify NASA, we would
(11:57):
not have heard about doctor Ronald McNair or his ex
world or his contributions within NASA. Is that correct?
Speaker 8 (12:03):
Absolutely? And probably for women as well. They didn't have
any women and it was the New Space Program where
they had decided to diversify. I might add that was
under the administration Jimmy Carter, President Jimmy Carter's administration, So
that kind of kind of fits, doesn't it, And so
that's how that came about.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
It would be very challenging today. I thought about this recently.
Speaker 8 (12:25):
Obviously, that would being that I posted a picture of
the Space Shuttle Challenger fifty one L crew and I
thought to myself, would this have been possible today?
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Would have been possible?
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Since we're there, let's talk about it now directly. I
remember where I was when I got the news that
the Challenger Space Shuttle fifty one L had exploded shortly
after takeoff thirty nine years ago. This week. I was
a junior in high school. I was walking in between
Spanish and ap English classes. I remember the cloud around
the very public investigation afterward. You know, all this is
(13:02):
just like seared in my memory. There have been plenty
of documentaries and movies over the years, and Karl McNair,
I've known you for some twenty years and I've never
asked you, but I'm asking you now. Have we, the
general public, or at least the families, gotten the full
truth surrounding Challenger?
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Quite frankly, we have no real idea.
Speaker 8 (13:24):
We know with some of the reports, we've seen some
documentaries and found out more, but the answer is no.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
How do you look upon that some thirty nine years later.
Speaker 8 (13:35):
Well, I'm very actor, quite frankly, as somebody said, whatever
they tell me, it's not going to bring Ron back,
not going to bring in idle of the crew back.
So I focus on the positive. As you well know,
we have a lot of mcneir's scholars program.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
We have over five.
Speaker 8 (13:54):
Thousand mcnear's scholars program mcnehir's scholars in the program right now.
We've seen go on to do remarkable things in the
areas of science, technology, engineering, math, as well as other
profession as well. You know, for instance, Congresswoman Natima Williams
from Georgia, she's a McNair scholar, and there's others who
have achieved great things who are mcneir's scholars.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
And it had it not been for.
Speaker 8 (14:18):
The program, as I hear her from a person as
early as today, and had not been for that program,
they never would.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
Have achieved the level of success that they have.
Speaker 8 (14:28):
And the whole idea is inspired them be going to
graduate school ultimately to get a PhD or some other
doctor degree and return and be that person in front
of the classroom that many of them found themselves absent of.
So that's the essence of the program.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Carlbing there, My time is running short with you, but
I know earlier this evening and I appreciate you coming
on on such short notice. But earlier this evening there
was a candle light visual for doctor McNair as doctor
Ronald E. McNair Life History Memorial Park in Lake City,
South Carolina, where he was born. This is an annual
event to keep his memory alive. Along those lines, what
do you hear from the young people who may not
(15:08):
have any memory of him, but are now first learning
about him, well.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
We've found over the years. So the first thing young
people must do be exposed to possibilities out there.
Speaker 8 (15:20):
As you occurred before, you can't be what you can't see,
and so we showed them not only the professionals who
are in those areas as well. The Cantillot Visuals is
the annual annual event, if you will, to remember in
our small town, Lake City, South Carolina, when we were
(15:40):
coming along, it was no more than population what two thousand,
now maybe it's around eight if.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
He fludge it a little bit.
Speaker 8 (15:48):
And people need to remember that here was a country
bar from Lake City, South Carolina. As I mentioned, population
two thousand and segregated South Carolina was almost thrown out
the library. But he came out of this environment went
on to become an astronaut. And it was because of
(16:10):
the upbringing the school teachers at the.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Time that we had. And we remember, we remember.
Speaker 8 (16:16):
The school teachers as well, if it had not been
for them to inspire Ron to go to the Sower
program at Virginia Union, which is another HBCU, and that's
when he got the idea from a professor that he
could go all the way to the PhD. Didn't know
what it was.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
But he was going to receive a PhD out there
learning that that was the highest academic level that you
could achieve.
Speaker 8 (16:38):
So that was the spark right there that carried him
on and some great advisors.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
And he didn't get there by himself.
Speaker 8 (16:45):
I want anybody to think that he just you know,
got to that level by himself, but people along the
line I called him guarding an agents to looking over
shielder and make certainly it takes the right direction.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
He is Carl McNair, founder of McNair Achievement program, author
and STEM Education consultant. He, like me and doctor Ronald McNair,
are men of Omega Sci Fi Fraternity Incorporated. Ral McNair,
I said it early, I'll stay it again. I've known
you for about twenty years. I've appreciated our dialogues off
air about your brother and your brother's achievements, and I
(17:19):
want to celebrate you and yours as well. Thank you
for coming on this show tonight, and let's keep Ronald
McNair's memory alive.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
Thank you, brother. Kelly.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
It's later with Moe Kelly KF. I am six forty.
We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app you're
Speaker 9 (17:34):
Listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI
AM six forty
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