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." (44-45)

Reagan really brings home the bacon on emotional appeal in the final sentences.

By mentioning the Challenger Seven a last time, he returns to the original purpose of his speech, tying it up like a gift-wrapped bread machine from Younkers. His assertion that the astronauts honored us simply for being who they were is a crafty bit of ethos.

It's meant to leave a lasting impression of the astronauts as the best role models ever. It also supports all of his earlier comments about the crew. He his telling his audience that personal values like bravery, duty, and determination are quintessential American traits.

And that final line? Think of it as a big fancy bow on top.

In some ways, it's an unexpected conclusion because the poetry breaks away from the tearful formality of everything that came before it. It creates a sense of poignancy and makes what amounted to a technical malfunction seem a lot more epic…and religious.

The language inspires a moment of contemplation about mortality, progress, and the infinite beyond. Reagan received a lot of praise for this final flourish (even though it's mostly from John Gillespie Magee Jr.'s poem, "High Flight"). It has since become the most frequently cited portion of the speech and its most quoted line.