Eyes on the Stars

Eyes on the Stars may well bring a tear or two to your own.  It tells the story of the day the nine year old Ronald E. McNair was drawn to his local library. Yet his attempts to borrow some books led with disapproval and denial – the library was 'not for coloreds'.

Nevertheless this young boy persevered and was destined to become only the second African-American in space.  McNair was selected as one of thirty-five applicants from a pool of ten thousand for the NASA astronaut program.

On January 28, 1986, the day which was to be McNair’s second journey on the shuttle, the NASA Challenger mission STS-51-L ended in tragedy when it exploded 73 seconds after takeoff. McNair was killed along with the six other astronauts on board.

This story is told by his brother, Carl.  It was created by Story Corps, a truly amazing organisation which provides Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives.

Eyes on the Stars is a wonderful tribute to McNair (left) and, indeed, all those others like him who strive to better themselves and those around them through education and then go on to break new ground.