[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 22, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
              FINAL FLIGHT OF SPACE SHUTTLE ``CHALLENGER'

  (Mr. OLSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle 
Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch. The whole world cried 
watching Challenger tumble back to Earth knowing that seven brave 
Americans had lost their lives. Commander Dick Scobee, pilot Michael 
Smith, mission specialist Judy Resnick, specialist Ron McNair, mission 
specialist Ellison Onizuka, payload specialist Greg Jarvis, and 
America's first and only teacher into space, Christa McAuliffe, all 
perished pursuing our dreams.
  The night of the disaster, President Reagan put all of our thoughts, 
our pain, and our prayers into words. He said:

       We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, 
     this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved 
     goodbye and ``slipped the surly bonds of Earth'' to ``touch 
     the face of God.''

                          ____________________