On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing its crew. In this excerpt, Reagan compares the crew to Sir Francis Drake. Drake was an English sea captain, explorer, slave trader and naval officer of the Elizabethan era.
Reagan argues that the crew is similar to Sir Francis Drake because they lived as astronauts and died as astronauts. Similarly, Drake lived as an explorer and died as an explorer aboard his ship.