Ronald Reagan Challenger Disaster Summary

President Reagan’s Challenger Disaster Speech Analysis
This speech was made by our 40th President Ronald Reagan on January twenty-eighth, nineteen hundred eighty-six . Originally slated to be the State of the Union Address, President Reagan instead addressed the tragedy of the Challenger Space Shuttle that exploded mid-flight earlier that day. The seven-member crew perished in the explosion including Christa McAuliffe, who would have been the first teacher in space. In the twenty-five years of the United States space program’s history, this was the second time a space shuttle’s crew had been killed. The previous incident being nineteen years earlier, involving a cockpit fire in the Apollo I Shuttle cockpit killing all three the of the crew members aboard.

An estimated seventeen percent of the American populous watched the launch live on television, and within an hour over eighty percent of Americans had heard of the tragic loss.

In President Reagan’s speech, he made it a point to address the school children of America who were watching during class due to the importance of the first teacher to enter space. President Reagan tried to explain to the children about the costs of exploration and pioneering new frontiers. He told the audience that expanding man’s horizons and the future does not belong to the fainthearted but to those who show bravery. President Reagan promised that we, the people of the Unites States, would continue to follow the Challenger crew into the future.
To begin his speech, he shared his and First Lady Nancy’s pain with the people of the United States as well as the families of the crew members. He praised the courage of the crew members and their dedication to their jobs. He stated that this was a tragic loss that our nation would mourn, but we as people could not fully understand the impact upon the families who lost loved

ones.
Continuing his speech, President Reagan discussed the history of the space program and talked of how we had just begun to explore the reaches of the universe. He referred to the crew and the remaining members of the space program as pioneers. President Reagan expressed his confidence and respect for the space program and stated that the tragic loss of the Challenger would not diminish the program. Clarity and transparency of our space program and its disclosure to the public would remain. President Reagan offered reassurance and emphasized that freedom of disclosure would remain and would not be impeded. The United States’ space quest would continue. Hope for the future of the space program and the enthusiasm of the works, volunteers, and civilians at NASA would continue.
President Reagan thanked all who worked on the mission as well as everyone involved in the space program for their dedication and professionalism. He expressed sorrow for their anguish. He expressed a shared sorrow with the people.
In conclusion, I believe that President Reagan’s Challenger speech should be included in the top fifty speeches. This being due to the large historical significance of the event addressed, the quality and respect in which it was delivered, and his ability to relate to the people and convey emotion. That in my opinion is what allows this speech to be so great.