Ronald Reagan
The Space Shuttle "Challenger" Tragedy Address
delivered 28 January 1986
Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.
女士们先生们：本来，我打算今天晚上向你们宣读国情咨文，但今天早些时候发生的事件让我改变了计划。今天是哀悼和怀念的日子。南希和我为“挑战者号”航天飞机的悲剧感到至为痛心。我们知道全体国人人同此心。这真正是全国人的损失。
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight. We've never had a tragedy like this.
十九年前，几乎就在今天，在一次可怕的地面事故中，我们丧失了三名宇航员。
And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe.
然而我们从未在飞行中丧失过宇航员，从未经历过这样的灾难。也许我们已经忘记，航天飞机机组人员需要多么大的勇气；但是挑战者七壮士深知其中的危险，他们坚忍不拔，出色地履行了自己的职责。我们悼念七位英雄：迈克尔·史密斯、迪克·斯科比、朱迪恩·伦斯尼克、罗纳德·卖克奈尔、埃利森·奥尼祖卡、格雷戈里·贾维斯、克丽斯塔·麦考利夫。
We mourn their loss as a nation together.
我们举国哀悼失去的英雄。
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.
对于这七个人的家人，我们不能百分之百地像你们那样的感受这场灾难的打击。但是我们感受到了损失，我们认为你们一定也是这样。你们的亲人勇敢无畏，他们的特殊姿态和特殊精神告诉我们：“把挑战给我，我要满怀喜悦的去迎接。”他们渴望探索宇宙，渴望揭开宇宙的奥秘。他们希望尽职，他们做到了。他们为我们所有的人尽了职。
We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and, perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.
这个世纪，我们对奇迹已习以为常。很难有什么会使我们赞叹不已。但是美国航天计划二十五年来做的正是如此。我们对太空计划已经习以为常，也许已经忘了我们不过刚刚起步。我们仍然是开拓者。他们——挑战者号全体机组人员是开拓者。
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's take-off. I know it's hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.
我要对观看航天飞机发射直播的美国学童说几句话。我知道后者难以理解，但有时像这样令人痛苦的事确实会发生。这些都是探索和发现过程的一部分。这些都是承担风险、拓展人类世界范围的一部分。未来不属于弱者，未来属于强者。挑战者号全体人员把我们推向未来，我们将继续追随他们。
I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program. And what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute.
我一直对我们的航天计划充满信心，并怀抱敬意。今天发生的悲剧决不会削弱它。我们没有隐藏自己的航天计划。我们没有保密和隐瞒。我们堂堂正正地公开实施它。这正是自由的方式，我们一分钟也不会改变它。
We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.
我们将继续探索太空。我们将有更多次航天飞行，有更多宇航员，更多志愿者，更多平民，更多教师进入太空。一切都不会到此为止。我们的希望和我们的旅程不会停步。
I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA, or who worked on this mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."
我还想说，但愿我能和为国家航空航天局，或者为完成此次使命而工作的每一个人谈话，告诉他们：“几十年来，你们的奉献和敬业精神令我们感动，让我们铭记在心。我们了解你们的痛苦。我们感同身受。”
There's a coincidence today. On this day three hundred and ninety years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today, we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.
今天是一个巧合。三百九十年前的今天，伟大的探险家佛朗西斯·德雷克勋爵在巴拿马附近海面的一条船上死去。在他生活的时代，最大的疆界就是海洋。后来一位历史学家说：“他生在海边，死在海上，葬在海里。“今天我们可以这样对挑战者号乘员说：像德雷克一样，他们的奉献是毫无保留的。
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. 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."
挑战者号航天飞机乘员的生命历程给我们带来荣耀，我们永远不会忘记他们，也不会忘记今天早上最后一次见到他们，那时他们正准备上路，挥手告别，“挣脱大地粗暴的束缚，去触摸上帝的脸”。
Thank you.
谢谢各位。
