Address to the Nation on the Explosion of The Space Shuttle Challenger

Public Papers of Ronald Reagan ^ | January 28, 1986 | Ronald Reagan

[Commander8]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight on the State of The Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans, today is a day of mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.

[genefromjersey]

I remember this well !

About a week after the disaster, we had a bluegrass concert. One of the songs requested was "ANGEL BAND" :

Come thou Angel Band
Come and around me stand-
Carry me on your snow white wings
To my immortal home !

When the group finished the song, there was hardly a dry eye in the house...

[The Duke]

I worked at Johnson Space Center in those days, and most of the folks I knew there at the time honestly felt that warnings were deliberately ignored so that Reagan could allude to the "first teacher in space" passing overhead during the speech.