While Christa McAuliffe is obviously the most famous of that Challenger crew, her backup Barbara Morgan's story ended up being just as compelling, as I mentioned in a post last year. Be on the lookout for PBS to be running that today or this weekend.
Also, it turns out that part of the crew that day was Ronald McNair, who was not only the second African American in space, but also was set to have another claim to fame:
McNair was an accomplished saxophonist. Before his fateful last space shuttle mission he had worked with composer Jean Michel Jarre on a piece of music for Jarre's then-upcoming album Rendez-Vous. It was intended that he would record his saxophone solo on board the Challenger, which would have made McNair's solo the first original piece of music to have been recorded in space. However, the recording was never made as the flight ended in disaster leading to the deaths of its entire crew.The last of the Rendez-Vous pieces, (Last Rendez-Vous) had the additional name "Ron's Piece". Ron McNair was supposed to take part in the concert through a live feed, but that never happened.
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That old mouse, Mr. Smith gave away his jealousy. As for the tragic demise of the gifted Mr. McNair,
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [you aren't alone]
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Robert Burns wrote To a Mouse (1786), but rarely gets the credit.
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