Reagan, Ronald

American politician, president of the USA 1981-1989. Initiated 'Star Wars' strategic defenses and Space Station Freedom. Confronted the Soviet Union with a heavy aerospace buildup which they could not match, contributing to their collapse.

Ronald Reagan was elected president of the United States in 1980 and assumed office in January 1981 and he served until 1989. During his presidency, the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle took place. In 1984 he also mandated the construction of an orbital space station. Reagan declared that "America has always been greatest when we dared to be great. We can reach for greatness again. We can follow our dreams to distant stars, living and working in space for peaceful, economic, and scientific gain. Tonight I am directing NASA to develop a permanently manned space station and to do it within a decade."