Read this excerpt from “President Ronald Reagan's Address to the Nation” following the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. 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. 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. 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.” There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard a ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and an 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. Which line from the excerpt is an example of evidence in a persuasive speech? Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard a ship off the coast of Panama. Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete. I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it.