We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.

For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much.

President Ronald Reagan
Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger
January 28, 1986

January 28, 1986: Launch of STS Mission 51-L

We were all sitting in there, and I was preparing myself for your questions on the State of the Union Address when the Vice President and [Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs] John Poindexter came into the room. And all they could say at the time was that they had received a flash that the space shuttle had exploded. And we immediately went into the adjoining room where I have a TV set to get on this, because there was no direct word except that word that had been made public also. And there we saw the replaying and saw the thing actually happen.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger
January 28, 1986

On the morning of January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Approximately 73 seconds into the launch all data was lost.

That evening, President Reagan addressed the nation from the Oval Office on the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

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January 31, 1986: Memorial Service in Honor of the Crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger

We come together today to mourn the loss of seven brave Americans, to share the grief that we all feel, and, perhaps in that sharing, to find the strength to bear our sorrow and the courage to look for the seeds of hope. Our nation's loss is first a profound personal loss to the family and the friends and the loved ones of our shuttle astronauts. To those they left behind -- the mothers, the fathers, the husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, yes, and especially the children -- all of America stands beside you in your time of sorrow.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
Remarks at the Memorial Service of the Crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger in Houston, Texas
January 31, 1986

On January 31, 1986, President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan attended the memorial service in honor of the Space Shuttle Challenger crew at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Attendees included: family members of the Challenger crew, current and former astronauts with their families, NASA employees, delegations from each of the NASA space facilities, and foreign dignitaries.

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February 3, 1986: Announcement of the Establishment of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident

The crew of the Challenger took the risks and paid the ultimate price because they believed in the space program. They were excited by the mystery of what is beyond the Earth and by the limitless possibilities of space exploration. They knew of the dangers they faced. Yet despite those dangers, they chose to go forward, not reluctantly but eagerly and with a thumbs up. And we owe it to them to conduct this investigation so that future space travelers can approach the conquest of space with confidence and America can go forward with enthusiasm and optimism, which has sparked and marked all of our great undertakings.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
Remarks Announcing the Establishment of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident
February 3, 1986

On February 3, 1986, President Ronald Reagan announced the establishment of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident to review the circumstances surrounding the accident determine the probable cause or causes and develop recommendations for corrective actions.

On June 9, 1986, President Ronald Reagan received the final report, which found that the cause was a failure in the joint between the two lower segments of the right Solid Rocket Motor. The specific failure was the destruction of the seals that are intended to prevent hot gases from leaking through the joint during the propellant burn of the rocket motor.

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Gifts Housed in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Artifact Collection

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