Ronald Reagan Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion Speech 1/28/1986 (Complete)
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Ronald Reagan Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion Speech 1/28/1986 Transcript: 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 United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers. And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is 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 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and an historian later said, ``He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.'' Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete. 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.'' Store: http://www.thehistoricalarchive.com Blog: http://www.thehistoricalarchive.com/happenings/ Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/user/HistoricalHappenings
Comments
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We Lost the Sea brought me here - Challenger Part 2 - Swan Song
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Hoax
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Bravo darling!! Wonderful. R.I.P. One of the nicer puppets Ron Reagan
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Back in the good ole' days. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain.
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Thanks!
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That last sentence, gave me goosebumps.
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please America....
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Best president ever.
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This one always remind me the Morgan Freeman speech in Deep Impact movie!
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This was a wonderfully written address to the nation.
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Good to hear a REAL U.S. President, especially now.
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Damn..... I nearly forgot what it was like to listen to a true President of the United States. Haven't seen one in a very long time.... It's refreshing.... The USA Misses you, Uncle Ronny........
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almost forgot what it was like to have a President
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Reagan was the last true American president. The last actual human being with any semblance of a soul. Proof of which- if not for the genuinely heartfelt delivery of this speech, the fact that every president since (especially the current) uses tragedies such as this to stump thinly veiled political agenda.
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One of America's top two presidents ever. Him and George Washington.
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Coincedence it happened the same day as the State Of The Union address?
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I have mixed feelings about Reagan and his legacy, but I have to say this is one of the greatest speeches ever delivered by an American President. Eloquent and moving. Peggy Noonan outdid herself when she wrote it, and Ronald Reagan outdid himself when he delivered it.
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I lived in Merritt Island just a few miles from the launch pad. School was closed that day due to the low temps (I was a high school senior). I almost didn't go outside because the launches had become so routine. I decided to go outside and watch the launch - the resulting explosion is seared in my mind and I will never forget it. It took some time for the sound of the explosion to reach us. It really wasn't an explosive sound, instead it sounded like a gas grill being ignited after too much propane had accumulated - kind of a whooshing sound. After that there was an eerie silence and I could see parts falling to the ocean for a long time afterwards. I could hear one of our neighbors screaming - her husband was an engineer at NASA. That evening I remember watching Reagan's speech. Indeed he was the comforter in chief. Only in hindsight do I realize what an incredible President he was.
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This is what a real leader looks like. Reagan was a visionary with courage and conviction. He was also a comforter who provided reassurance during times of national tragedy.
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