For Ronald Reagan, one of the most famous and successful U.S presidents in the late 20th century, his speech was instrumental in calming the shock felt around the world following the accident of the space shuttle Challenger, and it was also crucial in spurring on the American space industry to the high level it is today. In order to calm people down, Reagan first reminds everyone that America has “never lost an astronaut in flight” and has “never had a tragedy like this” before, so it was definitely an accident. This also meant that the government had little experience in this area, and probably made mistakes in dealing with the accident. He proceeded to mention how all the astronauts “knew of the risks beforehand and were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly”, telling people that the astronauts were brave people, who valued the mission above their lives. He also gave reassurance to the American people that their leaders were feeling the “full impact
SDI – anti ballistic missiles. | In order for the USSR to keep pace with them they would face bankruptcy. American military supremacy – allow the USA to gain more meaningful concessions. | It would require vast sums of money and resources.Soviets could respond. | The Reagan Doctrine | The policy of spending assistance to anti-Communist insurgents and governments.
A master of communication, President Reagan understands that the “Challenger” disaster had to be the only subject of interest on his agenda, and that his role is multifaceted. Although delivering a speech of fact, he aimes not only to inform and comfort a nation in mourning, but to honor and most importantly to channel a positive look into the future. Aware of the possible implications of this disaster for the reputation and ultimately, the continuation of the National Air and Space Association, Reagan chooses to postpone his State of the Union address. Instead, addressing the grieving nation, Reagan contextualizes the disaster within the framework of American Progressivism, portraying in his message the difficulty of exploration as an intricate part of its great achievements.
Response to 9/11 The Event On 11th September 2001, four planes were hijacked by Al-Qaeda. One of the planes flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York City. 20 minutes after this horrible event, with camera crews sending pictures all over the world, a second plane crashed into the South Tower. Both Towers collapsed, killing 2,752 people. This number includes the innocent people on the planes, firemen, policemen and medical staff who had all gone to assist the crisis.
I was in complete shock. Just when we thought it was over, a third plane, American Airlines flight 77, struck one of the Pentagon buildings. Around 9:59 a.m., the South tower collapsed. At 10:03 a.m., United Airlines flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The North tower ended up collapsing at 10:28 a.m. (www.history.com) These attacks caused mass destruction and many lives were lost.
“Above all we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.” Americans not only have rights, they have responsibilities. Reagan connects American exceptionalism and the attitude of ordinary Americans in his moving quotation from the diary of a hitherto obscure American casualty of World War I, Martin Treptow, who wrote “I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.” Even when Reagan notes the monuments to the great Presidents he cites Washington’s humility and Lincoln’s life, an allusion to his humble origins. In the spirit of the American Founders, Reagan affirms “I believe God intended for us to be free” and proposes that inauguration day “should be declared a day of prayer.” It is for such a people—heroic yet humble, revolutionary but religious—that Reagan vows to transform the federal government, fighting cheerfully and at his
The worst terrorist attack in America’s History occurred on September 11, 2001. Four hijacked planes taken over by terrorists were turned into weapons of mass destruction and targeted major United States landmarks. Two of those planes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York City, and the third plane struck the U.S. Pentagon in Virginia. The unexpected attacks killed thousands of people. Firefighters, police officers, and other emergency workers immediately took action unaware of the problems that were to come.
The resulting damage proved fatal during Columbia’s reentry through the earth’s atmosphere, where friction can produce temperatures of up to 3000 degrees. The damaged area succumbed to this intense heat and tore the shuttle apart over the skies of Texas. Seven astronauts lost their lives that day, and we just about lost our space program. All space shuttle flights were grounded for nearly three years while America wrestled with the decision of whether or not space exploration was worth the risks. Fortunately, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board concluded in its report that American space exploration must continue.
A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon, leading to a partial collapse in its western side. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was targeted at Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. In total, almost 3,000 people died in the attacks, including the 227 civilians and 19 hijackers aboard the four planes. It also was the deadliest incident for firefighters in the history of the United States. Suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda.
Though the Ranger missions | |missed their target and the first Apollo spacecraft, sitting on the ground, caught fire, the space program had taken off. On | |July 20, 1969 Americans, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon while Michael Collins orbited around it. The space | |program achieved spectacular success in July 1975 when the Apollo astronauts linked up in orbit with two Russian cosmonauts. | |Explorations by nature are hazardous; people have always died. Setbacks are the price we pay for advances.