President of the U.S., 1981-1989; Republican Governor (CA)
Doubled Pentagon MANTECH manufacturing technology program
One major Pentagon program of the 1970s, MANTECH (manufacturing technology), doubled its outlays as Reagan took over. One of its tasks was to design the "factory of the future," integrating computer technology and automation in production and design and
developing flexible manufacturing technology and management efficiency, in an effort to catch up with Europe and Japan. The goal was to boost the market share and industrial leadership of US industry in the traditional way, through state initiative and
taxpayer funding. There was also a side benefit: the factory of the future could be designed to control the workforce. Automation and computer-controlled machine tools were developed in the public sector for a long period, then finally handed over to
private industry. Within the state sector the technology was designed in a specific way: to de-skill workers and enhance management control. That choice was not inherent in the technology and does not appear to have become more profitable.
1986: Postponed state-of-the-union for Challenger disaster
The State of the Union Address was replaced by an announcement about the Challenger disaster, Washington DC, USA 5pm EST, Tuesday 28 January 1986. Ronald Reagan said, "The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us in 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'." The
Challenger space shuttle disaster exploded over the Atlantic Ocean. All seven crew members died. On the night of the disaster, President Reagan had been scheduled to give his annual State of the Union Address. The Address was postponed and, instead, he
gave a broadcast on the Challenger disaster from the White House. It expresses loss and hope: "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."
