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
twenty-five 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...
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 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 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 the journey and waved good-bye and 'slipped
the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'
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source: The Ronald Reagan Homepage
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