How Ronald E. McNair Became The Second African American To Go To Space (VIDEO)

Today -- August 30 -- marks the 30th anniversary of the day that Guion S. Bluford became the first African American to go to space. To honor this milestone, we thought we'd show you a video we love. It tells the story of the second African American to enter space -- physicist Ronald E. McNair.

McNair was a crew member on the 1984 NASA Challenger STS-41-B mission -- one that ended in tragedy when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after takeoff on January 28, 1986. McNair and the rest of the crew were killed.

But in the StoryCorps animation above, titled 'Eyes On The Stars,' McNair's brother, Carl, honors his late brother by narrating his inspiring and adorable story. He explains just how "a colored boy from South Carolina" became an explorer of the universe.

We hope this magical 3-minute clip inspires you as much as it inspires us.