On January 28, 1986, a day that should have been full of excitement and exploration, suddenly turned into a day full of tragedy and sadness. The Space Shuttle Challenger was supposed to carry a seven-member crew into orbit with a single member with it for this particular mission. Christa McAuliffe was supposed to be the first teacher to go into space as a member of the Teacher in Space project. Thanks to this occasion, media coverage and viewership of this mission was extensive, particularly in schools across the nation. The Challenger took off shortly after 11.30am, but tragically just seventy-three seconds after liftoff it exploded, sending debris and seven crew members back to land and into the Atlantic Ocean. All seven crew members on board were killed in the crash as America watched helplessly. The cause of the accident is said to have been a faulty O-ring in the right solid rocket booster. Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was in office at the time of this tragic event. President Reagan was scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address that same evening. His intentions were to mention the Challenger and the significance of that particular mission during his speech. This would not be the case after the events of that day. President Reagan did not deliver his State of the Union address that evening, but instead decided to address the nation about the unfortunate events of that day. He recognized the courage of each crew member. He named all the people killed on the space shuttle and also addressed their families expressing his solidarity and gratitude. And he went on to point out that although the crew members were aware of the dangers, they faced the challenge with courage and... middle of paper... his crew would not be in vain. Reagan chose not to use the teleprompter during his speech, even though it was available at the time. Knowing this shows me that he wanted to address the American people on a more personal level. Even though he had a manuscript, I didn't notice it once. I felt that his speech was truly heartfelt and that he was very sincere in what was said. He had great eye contact with the camera and you could see from his facial expressions that he was too deeply troubled by the loss that we as a nation have suffered. He managed to calm the nation, offering his condolences to everyone and at the same time delivering a reassuring speech. Works Cited in American Rhetoric. October 26, 2011 .na Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. and October 30th 2011 .