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1967: Three astronauts die in Apollo 1 tragedy [RIP 47 years ago today]
BBC ^ | January 27th, 1967 | Various staff

Posted on 01/27/2014 8:32:09 AM PST by Ready4Freddy

1967: Three astronauts die in Apollo 1 tragedy

Three American astronauts have died after fire swept through the Apollo spacecraft designed for a manned flight to the Moon during rehearsals at Cape Kennedy.

It is thought an electrical spark started in the area holding oxygen supplies and other support systems. The fire spread quickly in the oxygen-filled atmosphere of the capsule, killing the crew within seconds.

The space crew, flight commander Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee, were taking part in a test run for the launch of the first Apollo mission.

Navy Lieutenant Commander Chaffee, aged 31, had never flown in space before. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Grissom, 39, was the first American to make two flights. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel White, 35, made America's first space walk.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: apollo; chaffee; grissom; white
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To: All

Say what one will about what the designers should have known and done, but I really think the tragedy was born of ignorance, not short-cut taking.

At least as opposed to the seal issues that led to the destruction of the Challenger. Some folks should have gone to prison for that one.


41 posted on 01/27/2014 9:28:09 AM PST by Ready4Freddy
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To: laplata

I am not worthy.


42 posted on 01/27/2014 9:28:31 AM PST by bicyclerepair (TERM LIMITS TERM LIMITS TERM LIMITS)
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To: chimera

The use of high pressure O2 (16 psi IIRC) was to keep dust and moisture out of the capsule during ground operations

During flight cabin pressure would have been bled down to
3.5 psi for mission


43 posted on 01/27/2014 9:57:13 AM PST by njslim (actice)
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To: Tigerized

NASA’s mission now is to make MUSLIMS feel good about themselves, per orders from Obama......this is NOT a SATIRE!!


44 posted on 01/27/2014 9:58:03 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion......the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: dfwgator

Well of course. LBJ pushed the timeline set originially under VP Nixon who oversaw establishment of the space program. LBJ did this to meet the JFK pronouncement of reaching the moon within 10 years. Even today many people still believe that JFK initiated the space program and the goal of a moon landing as well. You’re right, if Nixon had been president he would have been blamed because he began the program. LBJ with his journalist devotees made the story fall off the pages pretty quickly and he was forced to order a slowdown and review of his previously ambitious schedule.


45 posted on 01/27/2014 10:03:56 AM PST by RJS1950 (The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
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To: tanknetter

Yes, I remember that as well (about the engineer). I believe he was played by Kevin Pollak.


46 posted on 01/27/2014 10:09:42 AM PST by safeasthebanks ("The most rewarding part, was when he gave me my money!" - Dr. Nick)
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To: IronJack

Damn. Did not know that.


47 posted on 01/27/2014 10:13:47 AM PST by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: njslim

Yes, I think the goal was that if there was any leakage it would be in the outward direction. I always remember those air-to-ground calls during ascent about “cabin pressure dropping”. The first time I heard it I was worried there was a problem but only later learned it was normal procedure.


48 posted on 01/27/2014 10:15:13 AM PST by chimera
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To: Ready4Freddy

This is a hard time of year for NASA because of their losses.

Apollo 1, January 27, 1967
Challenger, January 28, 1986
Columbia, February 1, 2003

I don’t remember hearing about the Apollo 1 loss, was watching the Challenger launch live when it happened, and was working on ISS in Houston when we lost Columbia.

February 1 was established as NASA’s Day of Remembrance after Columbia was lost.

The NappyOne


49 posted on 01/27/2014 10:28:54 AM PST by NappyOne
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To: writer33

My uncle was friends with those guys. He had his wife and two kids at the launch and saw this tragedy in person. My aunt always said he never got over it.


50 posted on 01/27/2014 10:43:01 AM PST by MissEdie (America went to the polls on 11-6-12 and all we got was a socialist thug and a dottering old fool.)
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To: Ready4Freddy
Everyone in my age group seemed to have a favorite when the Mercury 7 were announced. Mine was Gus Grissom. The night he was killed I was at my job at a local grocery store. My dad was so concerned about my reaction that he drove to the store to tell me before I heard it from someone else. For decades I read everything I could on the accident trying to understand why?

More than 30 years later I found a book called “Angle of Attack” by Harrison Storms. Storms had kept quite for decades, but now he was dying of cancer and didn't care. Everything was laid out with dates, times, names, pictures, copies of correspondence, and so forth.

Even that many years after the event it was still incredibly difficult to read. Bottom line: none of the stuff in the capsule had squat to do with with happened. Almost everything burns in a 15.5 psi pure oxygen environment. NASA had known the ‘plugs out test’ (the only time the capsule was pressurized to the level) was dangerous as hell, but it saved weight and expense. North American considered NASA to be one of their best customers, and fell on their sword to keep the heat off NASA. The space shuttle contract was their reward. It was entirely a calculated gamble by NASA, and on this occasion they lost.

51 posted on 01/27/2014 11:17:39 AM PST by I cannot think of a name
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To: MissEdie

The launch of Apollo I was scheduled for ~3 weeks later, Feb 21. The mission, the first manned Apollo launch, was to be low Earth orbit of up to 14 days


52 posted on 01/27/2014 11:42:11 AM PST by Ready4Freddy
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To: I cannot think of a name

History has not been kind to Storms; his being the engineer in charge of the CSM program at NAA put him right in the crosshairs.


53 posted on 01/27/2014 11:51:46 AM PST by Ready4Freddy
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To: Ready4Freddy

RIP to three American heroes.


54 posted on 01/27/2014 11:54:52 AM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: Ready4Freddy
If you ever have a chance, read his book. He defends himself more than adequately and backs it all up with lots of facts and data. And while the 15.5 psi cabin ground test was not very safety oriented, on the day in question, NASA absolutely broke one of their own rules during the test.

One of the things that behaves differently in a high pressure, high oxygen content environment is electricity. Where two wires might have to be brought within a sixteenth of an inch to create a spark in normal atmosphere, in a high pressure/high oxygen environment a spark might jump several inches. That's the reason that NASA had a rule that this test could not be performed with ANY electrical component removed from the cabin. And if for some reason it absolutely had to be performed with it removed, there was a long detailed process for protecting and inerting a plug.

Unfortunately a box was missing. And it was right under Gus Grissom’s feet. Like all the suits at the time, his was metalized. He can be heard shifting around in his seat, and immediately thereafter the word ‘fire.’ Running that test not in compliance with their own rules cannot be laid anywhere but at NASA’s feet.

55 posted on 01/27/2014 12:56:34 PM PST by I cannot think of a name
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To: Ready4Freddy

My uncle worked for NASA, as an engineer, at the time.

He was tasked to figure out what caused the spark.

He spent a good part of a year basically smack different objects to together in order to see what might have caused this.

I always thought that was so interesting and I will never forget him relating this to me.


56 posted on 01/27/2014 2:16:09 PM PST by not2be4gotten.com
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To: Ready4Freddy
I remember when it happened. No 24 hour news and if you saw This is a Special News Bulletin on the TV screen it usually wasn't good news or LBJ was going to talk half the night. I remember I knew enough to know a launch wasn't supposed to happen that day or evening.
57 posted on 01/27/2014 4:19:23 PM PST by cva66snipe ((Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?))
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To: I cannot think of a name

According to some, if Gus had lived, he would have been selected as the 1st to set foot on the Moon instead of Armstrong.


58 posted on 01/28/2014 6:04:45 AM PST by Ditto
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To: I cannot think of a name

Thanks, no name, I will try to find his book.


59 posted on 01/30/2014 10:46:10 AM PST by Ready4Freddy
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To: Ditto

There was also the military vs civilian factor, Armstrong being a civilian.


60 posted on 01/30/2014 10:52:53 AM PST by Ready4Freddy
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