--- title: "How a sax solo became a heart-wrenching tribute to the Challenger crew" date: "2019-09-12" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/music/challenger-shuttle-sax-solo/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Music" --- # How a sax solo became a heart-wrenching tribute to the Challenger crew ![]() Ronald McNair [was an accomplished guy](). NASA's second-ever African-American astronaut was a physicist, a world-renowned expert in lasers, 5th-degree black belt in Karate, and jazz saxophonist. Amazingly, he was also dedicated to making sure most of those accomplishments lined up — in space. The multi-talented astronaut was then working with French composer Jean-Michel Jarre, whose work in the electronic music and synthpop was unparalleled. The two were collaborating on a piece for one of the composer's upcoming albums that would include a saxophone solo recorded in orbit above the Earth. McNair was also set to perform a live concert with Jarre's band — a specially-written solo just for him — during one of their performances through a live feed from his second mission aboard the *Challenger* space shuttle. Of course, none of this happened. On this mission, *Challenger* never made it to orbit, disintegrating 73 seconds into its launch from Cape Canaveral on January 28, 1986. --- The accomplished astronaut's musical solo would have been the first piece of live music ever recorded in space. When Jarre's album, called *Rendez-Vous*, was released, it included a track called "Ron's Piece," using McNair's actual heartbeat as the beat of the piece. The concert also went on as scheduled. Jarre took to the stage in Houston on Apr. 5 of that same year to a cacaphony of synth sounds, lasers, and fireworks. Though McNair wasn't giving his solo from space, [1.3 million people still checked in]() to see the concert in McNair's honor. ![]() The Houston, Texas skyline lights up for Jarre's tribute to McNair. At the request of McNair's wife, Grammy-winning jazz musician Kirk Whalum performed McNair's saxophone solo. "Going on stage took on a new meaning that day," [he told CNN](). "Because not to mention this horde, this mass of humanity, and all the security just to get to this spot, but then they had to hoist my instrument up, and then I was climbing up this crazy ladder to get to the top of this scaffold." It was the largest-ever public performance of its kind up to that point. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()