Ronald Reagan: The Space Shuttle "Challenger" Tragedy Address
delivered
Address to the nation on the Challenger
disaster
Oval Office
A
few hours after the disaster, this speech was delivered to the American people
via nationwide radio and television. 648
words
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 25 years the
And I want to say something to the school
children of
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 390
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 good-bye and "slipped the surly bonds
of earth" to "touch the face of God."
From: http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/challenger.asp
AND http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rreaganchallenger.htm