The Space Shuttle “Challenger” Tragedy Address
Ronald Reagan
January 28, 1986
Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d planned to speak to you tonight to report
on the State of the Union, but the
events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for
mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of
the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of
our country. This is truly a national loss.
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a
terrible accident on the ground. But we’ve never lost an astronaut in flight.
We’ve never had a tragedy like this.
And perhaps we’ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the
shuttle. But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but
overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael
Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory
Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe.
We mourn their loss as a nation together.
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full
impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so
very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special
grace, that special spirit that says, “Give me a challenge, and I’ll meet it
with joy.” They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths.
They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.
We’ve grown used to wonders in this century. It’s hard to dazzle us.
But for twenty-five years the
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who
were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s take-off. I know it’s hard to
understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the
process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and
expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it
belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and
we’ll continue to follow them.
I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program.
And what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don’t hide our space
program. We don’t keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and
in public. That’s the way freedom is, and we wouldn’t change it for a minute.
We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle
flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more
teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.
I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who
works for NASA, or who worked on this mission and tell them: “Your dedication
and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of
your anguish. We share it.”
There’s a coincidence today. On this day three hundred and ninety
years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast
of
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in
which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we
saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye
and “slipped the surly bonds of earth” to “touch the face of God.”
Thank you. |
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