Ronald Reagan: Address to the Nation on the ChallengerThe morning of Tuesday, January 28, 1986, was a normal day for the citizens and children of America. Although it may have been a normal day, most televisions across the country were tuned to watch the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) achieve another milestone with its space shuttle Challenger. At that time, space exploration was very important in American culture. The Challenger shuttle had a crew of seven men and women, including teacher Christa McAuliffe of the space program. That Tuesday morning, most of America watched and listened as the twenty-fifth shuttle mission took off with what was thought to be no complications. Shortly after the shuttle launched, seventy-three seconds, a fire broke out and the space shuttle exploded. Landing in the ocean, only two smoking rocket boosters remained from what was once the Challenger. This unexpected tragedy was seen first by the eyes of all Americans and required immediate action from then-President Ronald Reagan. . Oddly enough, on the morning of January 28, Ronald Reagan's State of the Union address was scheduled to be delivered, but plans quickly changed. Instead, Reagan decided to tell the Nation about the tragedy that had just occurred. He describes this day as a “day of mourning and remembrance”. In Ronald Reagan's speech on the Challenger tragedy, he attempted to pay tribute to the seven men and women on board and their families, to help the nation recover from this terrible disaster while encouraging the pursuit of space exploration and restoring all hope to America. people. Despite many points, Reagan succeeded because he spoke from memory...... middle of paper...... Pathetic approach while dealing with such an emotional situation. He expressed his personal feelings in a sad tone to reflect the astronauts' losses, and also used a very authoritative tone while assuring his audience that there was hope and things were under control. Reagan's speech to the Nation was extremely effective and filled with very powerful words and powerful quotes, some of which have been discussed above. He proves each of his points throughout his speech and reassures the nation that the seven Challengers "escaped the snarling bonds of the earth to touch the face of God." References « Speech on the Challenger disaster | Teaching American History. » Teaching American history. Ashbrook Center, nd Web. April 29. 2014. .