17. In 1978, McNair was one of 35 successful applicants to NASA from a pool of 10,000
Ronald first started to think seriously about becoming an astronaut when he got a flyer in the mail in 1976. However, it wasn’t until 1978 that he applied, whilst still working at Hughes Research Labs. Even for a sporting polymath like Dr. McNair, competition was rife. 10,000 people applied in 1978, and only 35 were successful. McNair was one of them, but once again disaster struck. A car accident left him seriously injured, and doctors feared he wouldn’t recover in time for NASA training. Ronald, of course, did so, against all expectations, and began his training in 1979.