Page 1

Dustin Page

Professor Moore

ENGL 1302-HON

18 February 2017

President Reagans Tribute to Seven Heroes

On January 28, 1986, President Ronald Reagan was preparing to give his State of the

Union address when an American tragedy took place causing him to change his plans. The space

shuttle Challenger exploded on takeoff, killing its seven-person crew instantly. President Reagan

spoke to a grieving nation to honor the brave men and women who boldly gave their lives in

order to explore space. Throughout his speech, President Reagan not only comforted the

American people and their loved ones, but also encouraged the nation that America must not stop

exploring space. His emotional connection, credibility, and passion for exploration in The Space

Shuttle Challenger Tragedy Address reassured all Americans that exploring space should

continue no matter what difficulties may stand in the way.

President Reagans emotional connection throughout his speech touched the American

people and brought them together to mourn the tragic national loss. In his speech, he established

a connection with the American people by saying, 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 (Par. 1). President Reagan maintains this connection by using the words we and

together throughout his speech to include everyone in the grieving and the sadness of what

took place earlier that day. He then reached out to the families of the Challenger crew to say

that, although the American people cannot imagine the pain they were experiencing, they would

continue to be in Americas thoughts and prayers. The President ended his speech by touching
 Page 2

the hearts of the American people when he said, 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 (Par. 11). By concluding his speech with the

quote from the aviator poem High Flight by John Gillespie Magee, President Reagan was

encouraging the American people to turn their focus towards heaven to remember the seven

heroes. On such a tragic day, the President was able to connect with the American people to

remind them that America must stay strong and keep pursing the wonders of space.

The credibility of being the President of the United States helped reassure the nation they

were not alone and the Challenger Seven crew would never be forgotten. The President displays

his credibility through his knowledge of the space program when he says, nineteen years ago,

almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground (Par. 2).

President Reagan increased his credibility by addressing not only the American people, but also

the American children who had witnessed the tragedy at school that day. By speaking directly to

the children, this showed America and the rest of the world that President Reagan was thinking

of everyone who was affected by the awful shuttle disaster. Furthermore, by using the historical

example of Sir Francis Drake and how his story compared to the Challenger crew, President

Reagan expressed his knowledge of history and cemented his credibility as a President. Truly,

President Reagans wealth of knowledge of historical events and his prominent position of

President of the United States gave the credibility needed to comfort the American people in this

dark hour.

His passion for exploration is evident throughout his speech because of his desire to

continue exploring space and refusing to let this horrible event stop the space program. President

Reagan makes this point clear when he says, the future doesnt belong to the fainthearted; it
 Page 3

belongs to the brave (Par. 6). The President used this statement to inspire the American people

to not let this tragedy prevent them from taking chances, and exploring the unknown. His

passion was also evident when he spoke of the Challenger crew saying that they had a strong

desire to explore and the courage to unearth the wonders of space. He continues to show his

passion for space when he says, There will be shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes,

more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hope and our

journeys continue (Par. 8). President Reagan was promising the American people that this

tragedy would not prevent them from selecting more civilians to be a part of future shuttle

missions. Although America tragically lost seven heroes, President Reagans passion for

exploring space reminded the American people that they too must be brave and continue to look

forward to the future.

In President Reagans Space Shuttle Challenger Tragedy Address, he established an

emotional connection, utilized his credibility as a President, and expressed his passion for

exploration to comfort the American people. In an effort to connect emotionally with the

American people, the President included the entire nation with words of unity throughout his

speech to mourn the tragic loss together. The Presidents immense knowledge of the space

program and other historical events along with being the President of the United States gave him

the credibility to reassure the American people that America would survive this tragedy.

Although the nation was mourning the terrible loss of the Challenger crew, President Reagans

passion for exploration gave them hope for the future of the space program. While President

Reagan did not plan to deliver this kind of speech, he was able to comfort the American people

and encourage them that this tragedy would only make America stronger as a nation.
 Page 4

Works Cited

American Rhetoric: Ronald Reagan - Address to the Nation on The Space Shuttle Challenger

Disaster. American Rhetoric: Ronald Reagan - Address to the Nation on The Space

Shuttle Challenger Disaster,

www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganchallenger.htm. Accessed 10 Feb.

2017.