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(They have) "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."
Posted on 1/26/16 at 2:47 pm
Posted on 1/26/16 at 2:47 pm
In two days, it will be the 30th year anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. I watched the special on natgeo last night. If you haven't seen it, it is well worth it. I still remember the shock when it happened. Below is President Reagan's address to the nation on that tragic day.
President Reagan's remarks following the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger and her crew.
Broadcast at 5 p.m. EST, Jan. 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 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."
My one regret, is never seeing one of the launches in person.
President Reagan's remarks following the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger and her crew.
Broadcast at 5 p.m. EST, Jan. 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 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."
My one regret, is never seeing one of the launches in person.
This post was edited on 1/26/16 at 3:13 pm
Posted on 1/26/16 at 2:58 pm to Alahunter
I was watching the launch on TV before I went to class, sad day.
Posted on 1/26/16 at 3:21 pm to Alahunter
Though I was only 12 at the time, I could definitely sense the palpable emotion in Reagan's voice watching him that night. Thinking of it makes me miss times without internet. I'm sure there were people that thought his emotion was staged or fake, but without internet we weren't subjected to it.
Posted on 1/26/16 at 6:52 pm to Alahunter
I remember watching it on TV. You knew it exploded a few minutes before they actually announced it.
Oh, and Reagan was the best orator of my generation by far.
Oh, and Reagan was the best orator of my generation by far.
Posted on 1/26/16 at 7:17 pm to Alahunter
One of my teachers was an alternate/finalist for the flight. I still have the life magazine
Posted on 1/26/16 at 8:11 pm to Alahunter
By far the most diverse crew of any of the missions. Their deaths touched so many people.
Posted on 1/26/16 at 8:38 pm to Alahunter
One of those events like Kennedy assassination and 9/11 where if you were alive, you remember EXACTLY where you were when it happened.
For the Challenger I was at work at my office in Atlanta and my wife called me to tell me. I was the first to learn about it. We had no TV in the office, so we all listened to the radio. Was like getting kicked in the balls.
For the Challenger I was at work at my office in Atlanta and my wife called me to tell me. I was the first to learn about it. We had no TV in the office, so we all listened to the radio. Was like getting kicked in the balls.
Posted on 1/26/16 at 8:57 pm to Alahunter
The greatest speech I've ever witnessed a President give.
Posted on 1/27/16 at 3:39 am to Alahunter
I was home sick from school that day. Watched it live with my grandparents. It was unreal.
Posted on 1/27/16 at 12:52 pm to Alahunter
I was watching from home (Junior in High School). School was cancelled for snow that day. My dad called home and said that I needed to turn on the TV. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Posted on 1/27/16 at 1:04 pm to Alahunter
I was in my second year of college. Remember it like it was yesterday
Discovery is running a one hour special on it right now. I watched it two days ago. Kind of the hidden information of how the teacher was selected and what she had to go through to get ready or launch
Very interesting
Discovery is running a one hour special on it right now. I watched it two days ago. Kind of the hidden information of how the teacher was selected and what she had to go through to get ready or launch
Very interesting
Posted on 1/27/16 at 4:13 pm to Alahunter
The words "Go with throttle up" are forever etched in my memory.
Posted on 1/27/16 at 4:52 pm to Alahunter
I was in 3rd grade so I am in that age cohort who most likely saw it live on TV in school.
Weird memories I have from that, aside from the fact that we had lesson-planned about seeing the teacher "teach a lesson from space" later that week, was this kid who said "that lady in the crowd was laughing".
His interpretation of the sister and mother of McAulife who were shown life on TV bursting out in tears in the crowd that was watching the launch live.
Weird memories I have from that, aside from the fact that we had lesson-planned about seeing the teacher "teach a lesson from space" later that week, was this kid who said "that lady in the crowd was laughing".
His interpretation of the sister and mother of McAulife who were shown life on TV bursting out in tears in the crowd that was watching the launch live.
Posted on 1/28/16 at 7:35 am to Alahunter
Wasn't born yet, but that event gets hearkened back to enough that my generation knows the events and images in detail. Not the same as living it, but still horrible. One of the Corps of Cadets outfits my squadron shared a dorm with was nicknamed the "Challengers" in memoriam of that disaster.
This upcoming Monday will mark 13 years since the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. Somber days.
This upcoming Monday will mark 13 years since the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. Somber days.
Posted on 1/28/16 at 7:56 am to Alahunter
Seventh grade and watching it on a TV on a cart, wheeled to the front of the classroom. My seventh grade science teacher applied for the same program as McAuliffe. She made it through a few cuts, which made the build up for the event even bigger in our class.
We've lost something as a nation along the way. When tragedies struck, a president's words calmed and comforted. That doesn't seem to happen much anymore.
We've lost something as a nation along the way. When tragedies struck, a president's words calmed and comforted. That doesn't seem to happen much anymore.
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