The final flight of the Challenger Space Shuttle is a story of pure excitement and terror. Seven brave astronauts ascended into the sky on the cold morning of January 28th, 1986, powered by two solid rocket boosters. 73 seconds into the flight, however, the shuttle's external tank exploded, and the once breathtaking sight of a rocket launching became a terrifying cloud of debris. Following the disaster, President Ronald Reagan attempted to alleviate the pain of a nation and families, despite not knowing what had happened. Unfortunately, a deeper investigation into the events of the short flight and previous recommendations given to NASA reveals that the so-called accident was a true disaster due to many factors that did not put the astronaut's …show more content…
At first glance, the Challenger disaster seems to be an accident that no one saw coming, but the unfortunate fact is that there were many opportunities to prevent the disaster. After the tragic events of the Challenger disaster, President Reagan addressed the nation with a thoughtful speech to express sympathy and reassurance to the families of the astronauts and the nation. The first half of the speech focuses on expressing the evident theme of sympathy for the families and people who were mourning the loss of the astronauts. The theme of sympathy is clear when Reagan says, “The families of the seven, we cannot bear the full impact of this tragedy.” (C-SPAN, 2016). A second theme that is evident in the speech is that of reassurance and hope. Reagan assures the families and nation that the quest for knowledge will continue despite the tragic disaster (C-SPAN, 2016). Reassuring the families that the Challenger crew’s sacrifice would not be in vain, but rather a stepping stone to expand the horizons of humanity. The speech consists of three main sections of noteworthy …show more content…
While the O-rings on the booster are what failed, the true cause of the accident was the failure to seriously consider the recommendations not to launch due to previously known issues. Failure to acknowledge the many concerns ultimately led to the death of the seven heroes aboard the Shuttle Challenger. The speech given by President Reagan following the disaster intricately described the emotions of the day and expressed sympathy to the families and hope for the future. By these words, the United States continued the quest for knowledge and exploration but learned the hard lesson of not heeding warnings and putting operational goals ahead of human lives, which led to a disaster. Works Cited for: C-SPAN. (2016). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' President Reagan on space shuttle Challenger explosion [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66mGwws7EEw&ab_channel=C-SPAN Lucchesi, E. L. (2021, October 25). Looking back at the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Astronomy. The. https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/looking-back-at-the-space-shuttle-challenger-disaster/
Soon after launch on January 28th, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart and shattered the nation. The tragedy was on the hearts and minds of the nation and President Ronald Reagan. President Reagan addressed the county, commemorating the men and woman whose lives were lost and offering hope to Americans and future exploration. Reagan begins his speech by getting on the same level as the audience by showing empathy and attempting to remind us that this was the job of the crew. He proceeds with using his credibility to promise future space travel. Ultimately, his attempt to appeal to the audience’s emotions made his argument much stronger. Reagan effectively addresses the public about the tragedy while comforting, acknowledging, honoring and motivating his audience all in an effort to move the mood from grief to hope for future exploration.
On a cold winter’s morning on the 28th day of January in the year 1986, America was profoundly shaken and sent to its knees as the space shuttle Challenger gruesomely exploded just seconds after launching. The seven members of its crew, including one civilian teacher, were all lost. This was a game changer, we had never lost a single astronaut in flight. The United States by this time had unfortunately grown accustomed to successful space missions, and this reality check was all too sudden, too brutal for a complacent and oblivious nation (“Space”). The outbreak of sympathy that poured from its citizens had not been seen since President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The disturbing scenes were shown repeatedly on news networks which undeniably made it troublesome to keep it from haunting the nation’s cognizance (“Space”). The current president had more than situation to address, he had the problematic undertaking of gracefully picking America back up by its boot straps.
One of the most important aspects of Reagan’s time in office was his domestic policy. He knew to have a successful presidency and create a strong, the people of the United States needed to be cared for. His first goal was to turn the economy around from the stagflation it encounter in the Carter era. Stagflation is very similar to inflation. The main difference is that inflation is the result of a quick economic growth while causes the value of money to decrease with now economic growth. To accomplish the turn around, Reagan introduce his economic policy which became known as Reaganomics. Reaganomics was based in supply side economics. This economic theory says that lowering taxes through tax cuts increases revenue by allowing more money
While seated in the Oval Office of the White house, January 28, 1986 President Ronald Reagan delivers his speech The Challenger Disaster; hours after the space shuttle The Challenger explodes while in take off. Thousands witnessed this horrifying event live in person and on television. This mission was very unique allowing the first civilian to ever be allowed in space during a mission. She was aboard The Challenger as an observer in the NASA Teacher in Space Program. Ironically, nineteen years before this disaster, three astronauts were tragically lost in an accident on the ground. President Reagan remembers those astronauts that were lost not only the day of the disaster, but also those who were lost nineteen years before. He conducts this speech not only to mourn the death of The Challenger astronauts, but for the families and those who were impacted from this event. He especially calls out to the schoolchildren of America who were watching this event live as the shuttle took off. As the President of the United States, Reagan earned the nickname "The Great Communicator" due to his ability to convey his beliefs concerning economic and domestic policies to the public. This speech is just one example of how well Reagan spoke to the American public on a personal level and profoundly influenced the nations confidence in itself after this tragic event.
The Space Race began when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into space in 1957. The United States’ answer to this was the Apollo program. While the Apollo program did have successful launches, such as the Apollo 11 launch that landed Americans on the moon, not every launch went as smoothly. Fifty years ago, a disaster occurred that shook the Apollo program to its core. On January 27, 1967, the Apollo 1 command module was consumed by a fire during one of its launch rehearsal tests. This led to the death of three astronauts, Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom, Edward Higgins White, and Roger Bruce Chaffee. The fire was caused by a number of factors, most of which were technical. These causes range from the abundance of oxygen in the atmosphere of the
Reagan says in his speech, “Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle challenger” (1). For example, Reagan talks about mourning the loss of the astronauts from the space shuttle challenger. Reagan did not know what to think when he got the news of the shuttle challenger’s explosion. As president of the United States, he needed to send his remorse to the families of the individuals. Therefore, he would mourn with the families as well as the nation. Another example, Reagan talks about how space is not for the fainthearted and that he knew the school children, who had been watching the launch, would not understand what was happening (2). With the children watching the launch in their classrooms of their school the lesson started out to be about space, then when the explosion happened the children would have grown concerned and emotional, then would want to know what happened. They would have asked questions about what they saw that day of the explosion. Therefore, if the children of the astronauts were watching, they would need a little more attention and may need to see a guidance counselor. Thus, we as adults needed to be prepared to answer the questions that the children would
The day was September 11th, 2001, a moment in history that will never be forgotten by any American living at the time. It was in the early morning hours on this day that our nation experienced the single most devastating terrorist attack ever carried out on American soil. Images of planes crashing into the World Trade Center, news coverage of buildings on fire, and images of building rubble will forever be imprinted into the history of this great nation. However, it was on one of the darkest days for America that one of the most impassioned speeches ever given by a United States president was spoken. President George W. Bush’s speech addressing the nation after the “9/11” attacks was infused with pathos through his imagery of destruction and
It was on January 28, 1986 at 11:38 A.M. that the shuttle Challenger, NASA flight 51-L, the twenty-fifth shuttle flight, took off. It was the "Teacher in Space" mission. At lift-off, the temperature at ground level was 36° Fahrenheit, which was 15° Fahrenheit cooler than any previous launch by NASA. It was the Challenger's tenth flight. Take-off had been delayed several times. Finally the shuttle had taken off. The shuttle had climbed high in the sky thirty-five seconds after take-off, and it was getting hit by strong winds. The on board computers were making continuous adjustments so the shuttle would stay on course. About eight miles in the air, about seventy-two seconds after take-off, people watched in fear and horror as the shuttle was engulfed by a huge fire ball. All the crew members were killed instantly.
The Cold War was a post-World War II struggle between the United States. and its allies and the group of nations led by the Soviet Union. Direct military conflict did not occur between the two superpowers, but intense economic and diplomatic struggles erupted in the country. Different interests led to mutual suspicion and hostility in a rising philosophy. The United States played a major role in the ending of the Cold War.
Since the presidency of George Washington, the people of The United States have turned to the commander in chief in times of distress to receive assurance and hope. Kurt Ritter comments on President Reagan’s address to the nation given on January 28, 1986 saying, “Perhaps no president could have fulfilled the country’s need to mourn and, then, to begin to heal as skillfully as Ronald Reagan (Ritter, 3).” On that morning the space shuttle “Challenger” violently exploded while the nation watched live televised coverage of the shuttle’s launch. President Reagan was scheduled to give his State of the Union Address on that date, but instead he reached out the country in this time of mourning. He spoke from his oval office to heartbroken teachers, children, NASA Space Engineers, and the entire country. President Reagan’s reaction to the tragedy of the challenger guided the United States out of despair and into a new light of hope behind seven fallen heroes. In this essay I will show that Reagan gave our country a new light of hope through his emphasis on Pathos but also incorporating Ethos and Logos in this memorable presentation.
January 28, 1986 was a day of excitement and anticipation for the United States Space Program. Thousands gathered around television sets and radios to listen and watch the take off of the space shuttle, “The Challenger.” The challenger took off with seven brave astronauts ready to explore space, but their journey was cut short when the Challenger exploded in mid air seventy-three seconds after take-off. The citizens of the United States were shocked by this tragedy and looked to their president for comfort and logic. President Ronald Reagan delivered his address later that evening to the nation regarding the tragedy. Reagan spoke to thousands of American citizens over television and radio to help ease the pain that
In the minds of many Americans Ronald Reagan is the president that ended the Cold War, but is this view accurate? They claim Reagan's unprecedented military spending forced the Soviets to crumble. However, many critics of the president's outspending theory claim that the Russian economy would have imploded without such spending, and a military buildup of that kind did nothing but delay peace. Although, Reagan's willingness to negotiate was a clear factor in ending the Cold War, his aggressive arms race may have done more to forestall peace than abet it. The ascendance of Mikhail Gorbachev to power, the stagnating economy of Russia, and the personal friendship forged between Gorbachev and Reagan were the clear factors that contributed to the war's end.
Seventy three seconds into its 10th flight, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing the seven crew members on board [1]. The Challenger was the second space shuttle constructed by NASA and had completed nine successful missions prior to the disaster. Following the accident, the shuttle program was suspended for 32 months as President Ronald Regan appointed a Commission, chaired by William P. Rogers and known as the Rogers Commission, to investigate the cause of the accident [1].
The Challenger disaster of 1986 was a shock felt around the country. During liftoff, the shuttle exploded, creating a fireball in the sky. The seven astronauts on board were killed and the shuttle was obliterated. Immediately after the catastrophe, blame was spread to various people who were in charge of creating the shuttle and the parts of the shuttle itself. The Presidential Commission was decisive in blaming the disaster on a faulty O-ring, used to connect the pieces of the craft. On the other hand, Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch, in The Golem at Large, believe that blame cannot be isolated to any person or reason of failure. The authors prove that there are too many factors to decide concretely as to why the Challenger exploded. Collins and Pinch do believe that it was the organizational culture of NASA and Morton Thiokol that allowed the disaster. While NASA and Thiokol were deciding whether to launch, there was not a concrete reason to postpone the mission.
In my opinion, great books are retold to simplify the original text for modern day audience. They provide the reader with an insight of the most relevant and influential events from the original story. For instance, the original Ramayana was a series of eight lengthy books but, R.K. Narayana retold the story to make the original version easier to grasp. In fact, I believe his retelling was successful as it was significantly shorter, straight to the point and relevant to the current time. This was through his use of diction, style of writing and techniques that brought a contemporary feel to an ancient story. For these reasons, I picked The Ramayana as a great book to retell in this term project.