(p. C5) Thirty-five years ago . . ., on the morning of Jan. 28, the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded just over a minute after its launch from Cape Canaveral.
. . .
Reagan postponed his State of the Union address, which had been scheduled to take place that evening, and set out to craft a speech to the nation that would especially reach the hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren who had watched the disaster on live TV in their classrooms.
. . .
. . . the middle of the speech, where Reagan addressed himself to the schoolchildren of America about the harsh lesson of human tragedy, is where the important message is conveyed: Risk is a part of the human story. “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.” Reagan spoke to the families of all the lost astronauts over the following days; they all told him our space program must continue.
. . .
The aftermath of Challenger, which saw a special commission set up to investigate the causes of the disaster through public hearings, points to one of the continuing challenges posed by modern complexity. The Rogers Commission, which issued its report that June, was harsh in its assessment of NASA’s negligence in risk assessment and launch decision-making.
. . .
The usual response to such lapses is to add more layers of bureaucratic review and decision-making. But that is a two-edged sword. While reducing risk, it can also lead to soaring budgets, rigidity, groupthink, and less creativity and innovation. Just compare the cost and progress of NASA’s current rocket and spacecraft designs to recent private sector space efforts.
For the full commentary, see:
(Note: ellipses and bracketed year added.)
(Note: the online version of the commentary was updated January 28, 2021 [sic], and has the title “The Challenger Disaster and Its Lessons for Today.”)
Hayward is also the author of:
Hayward, Steven F. The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution: 1980-1989. New York: Crown Forum, 2009.