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.