Ronald Reagan January 28, 1986 Printer-Friendly Version Ladies and Gentlemen, Id 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, 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 Ill 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 member 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. Ive always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We dont hide our space program. We dont keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. Thats the way freedom is, and we wouldnt change it for a minute. Well 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 an impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it. 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. -Three days later, President Reagan delivered the following remarks at a memorial service held in Houston following the Challenger disaster, Jan. 31, 1986. We come together today to mourn the loss of seven brave Americans, to share the grief we all feel and, perhaps in that sharing, to find the strength to bear our sorrow and the courage to look for the seeds of hope. Our nations loss is first a profound personal loss to the family and the friends and loved ones of our shuttle astronauts. To those they have left behind - the mothers, the fathers, the husbands and wives, brothers, sisters, and yes, especially the children - all of America stands beside you in your time of sorrow. What we say today is only an inadequate expression of what we carry in our hearts. Words pale in the shadow of grief; they seem insufficient even to measure the brave sacrifice of those you loved and we so admired. Their truest testimony will not be in the words we speak, but in the way they led their lives and in the way they lost those lives - with dedication, honor and an unquenchable desire to explore this mysterious and beautiful universe. The best we can do is remember our seven astronauts - our ChallengerSeven - remember them as they lived, bringing life and love and