His older brother, writing in a posthumous biography about McNair, described how the family "covered the floor and furniture with pots and pans to catch the water dripping through the roof" when it rained.
[4] In the summer of 1959, McNair refused to leave the segregated Lake City Public Library without being allowed to check out his books.
[10] McNair was a member of the Bahá'í Faith, which emphasizes the unity of humanity and harmony between science and religion.
McNair even carried a book of Bahá’í prayers with him on the Challenger mission, reflecting his commitment to the faith.
[14] McNair flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-B aboard Challenger from February 3 to 11, 1984, becoming the second African American to fly in space.
[10] McNair was initially buried at Rest Lawn Memorial Park in Lake City, South Carolina.
"[17] McNair was supposed to have taken part in Jarre's Rendez-vous Houston concert through a live feed from the orbiting Shuttlecraft.
McNair was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004, along with all crew members lost in the Challenger and Columbia disasters.