South Carolina Astronauts

Charles M. Duke, Jr.
Charles M. Duke Jr., a former Air Force pilot, became an astronaut in 1966. He has degrees from the U.S. Naval Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Duke family lived in Pageland when he was born in 1935. He attended school in Lancaster, where his family still lives. Before becoming an astronaut, Duke was graduated from, and was an instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

He is the first astronaut from South Carolina and the only South Carolinian to walk on the moon.

Ronald E. McNair 1950 – 1986
Ronald E. McNair was born and educated in Lake City, South Carolina. He earned his doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked for several years in laser science. In 1978, he became an astronaut.

McNair's first space mission was Challenger flight 41-B in February 1984. The crew consisted of commander Vance Brand and pilot Robert Gibson. McNair, Robert Stewart and Bruce McCandless were mission specialists. This flight launched communications satellites. It was the first to use a mechanical arm to give crewmen a stable place to work outside the spacecraft. It was also the first to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

McNair, a laser scientist, was the first astronaut to operate a laser ranging device on a shuttle mission. This device measures the distance and speed of objects orbiting near the shuttle.
McNair was also an accomplished saxophonist and became the world's first space musician.
Ronald McNair died with the crew of the Challenger when the spacecraft exploded January 28, 1986. He was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Science and Technology. In early 1987, he was selected South Carolinian of the Year by WIS-TV.

"Truly there is no more beautiful sight than to see the Earth from space beyond. This planet is an exquisite oasis. My wish is that we would allow this planet to be the beautiful oasis that she is and allow ourselves to live more in the peace that she generates."
Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D.

Charles F. Bolden Jr.
Charles Bolden is a graduate of C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia and the U.S. Naval Academy. As a Marine pilot, he spent a year flying combat missions in Southeast Asia.

After graduating from the University of Southern California in 1978 and completing Naval Test Pilot School in 1979, Bolden was selected a shuttle pilot candidate in 1980.

Bolden was pilot of the Columbia on the 61-C mission in January, 1986, the last shuttle flight before the Challenger accident. On that mission, the crew launched the SATCOM-KU communications satellite. Crewmembers did experiments in astrophysics and the processing of chemical substances in space. A high school student from Maryland submitted one experiment conducted by Bolden.

Frank L. Culbertson, Jr.
Frank Culbertson had completed U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and was training in the F-14 Tomcat when he was selected for the astronaut program in 1984. He was trained as a space shuttle pilot. Culbertson graduated from Holly Hill High School and the U.S. Naval Academy. As a naval aviator, his duties included flying the carrier-based F-4 Phantom. Later, he was an instructor and test pilot.

Culbertson is known for viewing large stacks of smoke from space during September Eleventh as the Commander of the International Space Station.

Stephen D. Thorne (1953-1986)
Stephen Thorne was graduated from T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson and the U.S. Naval Academy. As a naval aviator, he flew the F-4 Phantom, the A-7 Corsair and the F-18 Hornet. In 1985, Thorne began training as a space shuttle pilot. He died in a private aircraft accident in May, 1986.