In Memoriam
1911
2004
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In
Response to the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
President
Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986. The White House.
Nineteen
years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible
accident on the ground. But, weve never lost an astronaut
in flight; weve never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps
weve 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 were 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.
Weve
grown used to wonders in this century. Its hard to dazzle
us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has
been doing just that. Weve grown used to the idea of space,
and perhaps we forget that weve only just begun. Were
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 shuttles takeoff. I
know it is hard to understand, but sometimes-painful things like
this happen. Its all part of the process of exploration and
discovery. Its all part of taking a chance and expanding mans
horizons. The future doesnt belong to the fainthearted; it
belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the
future, and well continue to follow them...
Theres
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 a 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 Drakes, 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 the journey
and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth"
to "touch the face of God."
[Posted
June 9, 2004]
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images courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation,
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