Proclamation 5763—National Challenger Center Day, 1988

Two years ago, on January 28, 1986, America lost the seven-member crew of the Challenger. Now as then, we join the families of those gallant Space Shuttle explorers in mourning them and in saluting their courage, vision, and determination.

The families of Challenger's crew members, sharing the bold spirit of the loved and lost, resolved to join in the task of preparing America's coming generations of astronauts and scientists—of inspiring young people and of giving them the opportunity to develop all of the knowledge and capabilities they would need in space and science research.

To that end, the families established a living memorial, the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. The Center will be a tribute to the Challenger crew and to their achievements, their bravery, and their dedication to America's leadership in space. The Center will stimulate and enhance students' search for knowledge and involvement in science, especially the space sciences. The Center, which will rely on private donations, has already established headquarters in our Nation's Capital and is planning regional sites.

The goals of the Center are those of all Americans, as National Challenger Center Day reminds us so well. Let our Nation's continued mission in the exploration of space pay tribute to the Center and to the families, and let it forever salute Challenger's crew and its quest.

To commemorate the members of the Challenger crew, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 201, has designated January 28, 1988, as "National Challenger Center Day" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim January 28, 1988, as National Challenger Center Day, and I call on the people of the United States to observe this day by remembering the Challenger astronauts who died while serving their country and by reflecting upon the important role of the Center in honoring them and in furthering their goal of strengthening space and science education.

In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twelfth.

RONALD REAGAN