TDIH: Space Shuttle Challenger
"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them"
On this day in 1986, Ronald Reagan was supposed to give his State of the Union address. Instead, the nation was dealt a terrible blow when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in mid-air. Reagan delayed his planned address and spoke directly to a grieving nation instead.
"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them," Reagan told the nation, "this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'"
The loss of the Challenger is one of those events that you do not forget, if you lived through it. You probably remember precisely where you were when you heard the news (or perhaps watched it live on TV).
RIP to seven great American pioneers! Men and women such as these are the reason that our country has aspired to greatness--and so often achieved it. ❤🇺🇸❤🇺🇸❤
Patty said it very well. This was personal to us all. Thinking of that day I feel a void as if the wind was knocked out of us. Overwhelmed as if emotion was absent in that surreal moment like a pressure yet to be released through a pinhole for the rest of our lives. We lived by NASA by Clear Lake, TX during this time. And yet, the whole country felt part of the community of the seven we lost that day reminding us of the reality of the risk they all take for mankind. The very few the very brave. Vaya con Dios to our best. For certainly you have.
Another American day of remembrance. I will never forget where I was and the feelings of disbelief and deep sadness that washed over me when I heard about the tragic loss of the seven astronauts aboard the Challenger. The profound words of President Reagan resonated throughout the nation. We recently visited a memorial garden in Hawaii for Col. Ellison Onizuka and we have visited the memorial for the seven astronauts at the Houston Space Center many times. They were brave pioneers who left an indelible mark on America’s space exploration. The American spirit continued to pushed on. Today we are still on this journey and private entrepreneurs are participating in exciting ways.