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Apollo 1 ![[Apollo 1 Logo]](../../../../../Countries/USA/States%20and%20territories/Florida/NASA/Photos/Apollo/ap1patch.gif)
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On January 27, 1967, Apollo-Saturn (AS) 204 (Apollo 1), developed an electrical fire as it sat on the launch pad 34 at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, . Ironically it was not launch time but a simulated test. Had everything gone as planned the AS-204 was scheduled to be the first Apollo program space flight with astronauts aboard the capsule, There were three astronauts on board "Gus" Grissom, Edward White, and Roger B. Chaffee who had been aboard running through a mock launch sequence. At 6:31 p.m., the fire broke out in the spacecraft and the pure oxygen atmosphere intended for the flight accelerated the fire. Being fully enclosed in their capsule the astronauts were exposed to the noxious fumes and died of asphyxiation. It took the ground crew five minutes to open the hatch and by then it was to late. Edward White, "Gus" Grissom, and Roger B. Chaffee A number of minor problems had cropped up which delayed the test considerably and finally a failure in communications forced a hold in the count at 5:40 p.m. At 6:31 one of the astronauts reported, "Fire, I smell fire." The Apollo hatch was designed to only open inward and was held closed by a number of latches which had to be operated by ratchets. With the pressurized air and the expansion due to the heat, the air inside was pressurized, pushing against the sealed door. Normally it took at least 90 seconds to get the hatch open under ideal conditions. It took approximately 5 minute before the launch pad crew was able to able to get the hatch cover open and by then it was too late. This accident caused the NASA engineers to redesign the hatch covers in an effort to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. There is never anyway to make light of a tragedy such as this, but their losses were a wake up call that will continue help the space program be safer. Overall the Apollo Lunar Missions were a success and have contributed much to our understanding of our closest celestial neighbor.
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Astronaut stats:
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Grissom, 39, was the first American to make two
space flights.
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel White, 35, made America's first space walk.
Navy Lieutenant Commander Chaffee, aged 31, this was to have been his first
space flight.
See the Apollo Flights that did go to the moon and either orbited it and of course the ones that landed and the Early Preparations and the related flights that did not actually go to the moon but were an important part of this program. Don't miss the additional resources related to the Lunar program.
Disaster
on Pad 34 - National Air and Space Museum
Apollo-1
- Kennedy Space Center
Apollo-1 -
NASA History Office
Apollo 1 - The Fire - Apollo By The Numbers
The Fire
that Seared the Spaceport - A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and
Operations
Tragedy and Recovery - Chariots for Apollo
A Tragic Fire Takes Three Lives - Apollo Expeditions to the Moon
Setback and Recovery: 1967 - Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of
Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions
Plan
to store Apollo 1 capsule with Challenger debris cancelled - NASA Press
Releases, May 1990
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