Apollo 1
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name	Apollo 1
Command Module	CM-012 mass 20,412 kg
Service Module	SM-012
Crew size	3
Booster	Saturn IB SA-204
Launch pad	LC 34 Cape Canaveral Florida, USA
Launch date	February 21, 1967
Landing	March 7, 1967 Atlantic Ocean, north of Puerto Rico a
Mission duration	14 days
Number of orbits	~200
Apogee	~300 km
Perigee	~230 km
Orbital period	~89.7 m
Orbital inclination	~31°
Crew photo Left to right: Grissom, White, Chaffee
Related missions
Previous mission Next mission Gemini 12 Apollo 4
Italics indicate parameters for the planned mission canceled following the Jan 27 fire. a The intended recovery carrier was the USS Essex.

Apollo 1 is the official name given to the never-flown Apollo/Saturn 204 (AS-204) mission. Its command module (CM-012) was destroyed by fire during a test and training exercise on January 27, 1967 at Pad 34 (Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral, then known as Cape Kennedy) atop a Saturn IB rocket. The crew onboard were the astronauts selected for the first manned Apollo program mission: Command Pilot Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee. All three died in the fire. Image File history File links Apollo_1_patch. ... The Command/Service Module (CSM) was a spacecraft built for NASA by North American Aviation. ... The Command/Service Module (CSM) was a spacecraft built for NASA by North American Aviation. ... The Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable... A Saturn I at Pad 34, ready for mission SA-3 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) is a launch site at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... A diagram of Keplerian orbital elements. ... A diagram of Keplerian orbital elements. ... The orbital period is the time it takes a planet (or another object) to make one full orbit. ... For the science fiction novella by William Shunn, see Inclination (novella). ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3000x2400, 2207 KB) Description: From left, Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee pose in front of their Saturn 1 launch vehicle at Launch Complex 34 at the Kennedy Space Center. ... Image File history File links Gemini_12_insignia. ... Gemini 12 (officially Gemini XII) was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASAs Gemini program. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (606x608, 438 KB)Apollo program insignia, cropped white spaces around image. ... Apollo 4 was the first unmanned flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft, acting as a sea-going airbase. ... The fourth USS Essex (CV-9) (also CVA-9 and CVS-9) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier, the lead ship of her class. ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... A Saturn I at Pad 34, ready for mission SA-3 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) is a launch site at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950. ... The Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable... This article is about the series of human spaceflight missions. ... Virgil Ivan Gus Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was a United States Air Force pilot who became the second American astronaut and one of the first to die in the U.S. space program. ... Edward Higgins White, II (Lt. ... Roger Bruce Chaffee (February 15, 1935 – January 27, 1967) was a U.S. Navy pilot who became an American astronaut in the Apollo program. ...

Although the ignition source of the fire was never determined, the astronauts' deaths were attributed to a wide range of lethal design hazards in the early Apollo command module. Among these were its use of a highly-pressurized 100%-oxygen atmosphere, many wiring and plumbing flaws, flammable materials in the cockpit, a hatch which might not open at all in an emergency, and the flight suits worn by the astronauts. Description Role: Earth and Lunar Orbit Crew: 3; CDR, CM pilot, LM pilot Dimensions Height: 36. ... This article is about the chemical element and its most stable form, or dioxygen. ...

Crew

• Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Command Pilot
• Edward H. White II, Senior Pilot
• Roger B. Chaffee, Pilot

Virgil Ivan Gus Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was a United States Air Force pilot who became the second American astronaut and one of the first to die in the U.S. space program. ... Edward Higgins White, II (Lt. ... Roger Bruce Chaffee (February 15, 1935 – January 27, 1967) was a U.S. Navy pilot who became an American astronaut in the Apollo program. ...

Backup crew

• April - December 1966
  • James McDivitt, Command Pilot
  • David Scott, Senior Pilot
  • Rusty Schweickart, Pilot

This crew flew on Apollo 9. James A. McDivitt (Brig. ... David Scotts Apollo 15 training space suit on display in the Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC. Colonel David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932), a former NASA astronaut, was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963 and is one of only twelve... Russell Louis Rusty Schweickart (born October 25, 1935) is an American astronaut. ... Apollo 9 was the third manned mission in the Apollo program, a ten day Earth-orbital mission launched 3 March 1969. ...

• December 1966 - January 1967
  • Walter Schirra, Command Pilot
  • Donn Eisele, Senior Pilot
  • Walter Cunningham, Pilot

This crew flew on Apollo 7. Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. ... Donn F. Eisele June 23, 1930-December 2, 1987 was born in Columbus, Ohio and served as a Colonel in the USAF, as well as an astronaut with NASA. EDUCATION: Graduated from West High School, Columbus, Ohio; received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in... Ronnie Walter Walt Cunningham (born March 16, 1932) was an American astronaut. ... Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. ...

Mission background

AS-204 was to be the first manned flight of a command and service module (CSM) to Earth orbit, launched on a Saturn 1B. CM-012, the Apollo 1 command module, was a Block I design built for spaceflight but never intended for a trip to the moon since it lacked the needed docking equipment.

Apollo 1 was meant to be followed by two more Apollo flights in the summer and late autumn of 1967. The first of these would have launched a Block II Apollo CSM on a Saturn 1B along with an unmanned LM on a second Saturn 1B, both ascending to low earth orbit for a CSM-LM rendezvous and docking. The second flight would have launched the CSM and LM together on a Saturn V to high earth orbit. All of these missions were cancelled following the Apollo 1 fire (their mission objectives were later carried out in a somewhat different form by Apollo 7, Apollo 8 and Apollo 9). The Command/Service Module (CSM) was a spacecraft built for NASA by North American Aviation. ... The LEM flight instrumentation panel and front windows. ... Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. ... Apollo 8 was the Apollo space programs second successful manned mission. ... Apollo 9 was the third manned mission in the Apollo program, a ten day Earth-orbital mission launched 3 March 1969. ...

The AS-204 mission was scheduled for sometime in the first quarter of 1967, having already missed a target date for the last quarter of 1966. The flight was to test "launch operations, ground tracking and control facilities and the performance of the Apollo-Saturn launch assembly" and would have lasted up to two weeks, depending on how the spacecraft performed.^[1] Grissom resolved to keep AS-204 in orbit for a full 14 days if there were any way to do so.

CM design worries

The Apollo 1 astronauts expressed misgivings about the safety of CM-012.

The Apollo command module was much bigger and far more complex than any previously implemented spacecraft design. North American Aviation built the CM and originally suggested the hatch open outward and carry explosive bolts in case of emergency. NASA didn't agree, arguing the hatch could be accidentally opened (ironically this is what had caused the post-flight loss of the Liberty Bell 7 capsule, which was piloted by Grissom, when it sank into the ocean during splashdown recovery operations). Before the fire astronauts successfully lobbied for an outward-opening hatch on future command modules, but NASA subsequently claimed the astronauts were thinking about ease of exit and entry for spacewalks (along with getting out of the CM after splashdown) rather than safety.^[2] Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... North American Aviation was a major US aircraft manufacturer. ... An explosive bolt is a fastener that incorporates a pyrotechnic charge that can be initiated by an electrical command. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... Mercury 4 was a Mercury program manned space mission launched on July 21, 1961 using a Redstone rocket. ...

North American Aviation also suggested the cabin atmosphere be an oxygen/nitrogen mixture as on the earth's surface. NASA objected, citing heightened risks such as catastrophic decompression sickness and mismanagement of nitrogen levels, which could cause the astronauts to pass out and die. NASA officials asserted a pure oxygen atmosphere had been used without incident in the Mercury and Gemini programs so it would be safe for use on Apollo. Furthermore a pure oxygen design saved weight. Decompression sickness (DCS), the diver’s disease, the bends, or caisson disease is the name given to a variety of symptoms suffered by a person exposed to a decrease (nearly always after a big increase) in the pressure around his body. ... Description Role: Orbital spaceflight Crew: one, pilot Dimensions Height: 11. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

CM-012 was delivered to NASA with dozens of acknowledged but unresolved flaws, and the crew expressed serious concerns about fire hazards and other problems (Grissom even famously hung a lemon on the spacecraft). The January 27, 1967 launch simulation, officially considered non-hazardous, was a "plugs-out" test to determine whether the Apollo spacecraft would operate nominally on internal power while detached from all cables and umbilicals. There was hope if the spacecraft passed this and subsequent tests it would be ready to fly on February 21, 1967.^[3] A lemon is a defective car that, when purchased new or used, is found by the purchaser to have numerous or severe defects not readily apparent before the purchase. ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...

Tragedy

Plugs-out test

At 1:00 PM (1800 GMT) on January 27th Grissom, White and Chaffee entered the command module fully suited, were strapped into their seats and hooked up to the spacecrafts's systems in preparation for the plugs-out test. There were immediate problems. A sour "buttermilk" smell in the air circulating through Grissom's suit delayed the launch simulation until 2:42 PM. Three minutes later the hatch was sealed and high-pressure pure oxygen began replacing the air in the cabin.

Further problems included episodes of high oxygen flow apparently linked to movements by the astronauts in their flightsuits and faulty communications between the crew, the control room, the operations and checkout building and the complex 34 blockhouse. "How are we going to get to the moon if we can't talk between three buildings?" Grissom complained in frustration over the communication loop. This put the launch simulation on hold again at 5:40. Most countdown functions had been successfully completed by 6:20 but the countdown was still holding at T minus 10 minutes at 6:30 with all cables and umbilicals still attached to the command module while attempts were made to fix the communication problem. The Operations and Checkout Building (previously known as the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building (MSOB)) is a historic site on Merritt Island, Florida, United States. ...

Fire

The charred remains of Apollo 1.

The crew members were reclining in their horizontal couches, running through a checklist when a voltage transient was recorded at 6:30:54 (23:30:54 GMT). Ten seconds later (at 6:31:04) Chaffee said, "Hey..." Scuffling sounds followed for three seconds before Grissom shouted "Fire!" Chaffee then reported, "We've got a fire in the cockpit," and White said "Fire in the cockpit!" Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x971, 464 KB)The Apollo 1 fire. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x971, 464 KB)The Apollo 1 fire. ...

After nearly ten seconds of frenetic movement noises Chaffee yelled, "We've got a bad fire! Let's get out! We're burning up! We're on fire! Get us out of here!"^[4][5] Some witnesses said they saw Ed White on the television monitors, reaching for the hatch release handle as flames in the cabin spread from left to right and licked the window. Only 17 seconds after the first indication by crew of any fire, the transmission ended abruptly with a scream of pain at 6:31:21 as the cabin ruptured after rapidly expanding gases from the fire overpressurized the CM to 29 psi.^[6] A pressure gauge reading in PSI (red scale) and kPa (black scale) The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch (symbol: psi or lbf/in² or lbf/in²) is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units. ...

Toxic smoke from the leaking command module and malfunctioning gas masks disrupted the ground crew attempting to rescue them. There were fears the whole launch complex might become engulfed by flames. It took five minutes to open the hatch, a layered array of three hatches with many ratchets. By this time the fire in the command module had gone out. Although the cabin lights had remained lit the ground crew was at first unable to find the astronauts. As the smoke cleared they found the bodies but were not able to remove them. The fire had melted the astronauts' nylon space suits along with some of the air lines connecting them to the cabin's life-support systems. Grissom's body was found lying mostly on the deck. His and White's suits were fused together. The body of Ed White, who mission protocol had tasked with opening the hatch, was lying back in his center couch. White would not have been able to open the inward-opening hatch because internal pressure had risen too high. Chaffee's job was to shut down the spacecraft systems and maintain communications with ground control. His body was still strapped into the right-hand seat.

Aftermath

According to the Apollo 204 Review Board, Grissom suffered severe third degree burns on over a third of his body and his spacesuit was mostly destroyed. White suffered third degree burns on almost half of his body and a quarter of his spacesuit had melted away. Chaffee suffered third degree burns over almost a quarter of his body and a small portion of his spacesuit was damaged. It was later confirmed the crew had died of smoke inhalation with burns contributing. It is unknown how badly the astronauts were burned before they lost consciousness.^[7] This page deals with the type of injury called burns; for other meanings of burn see burn (disambiguation) In medicine, a burn is a type of injury to the skin caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, or radiation (an example of the latter is sunburn). ... Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires. ...

To their dismay, the review board found the documentation for CM-012 so lacking, sometimes they were unable to determine what had been installed in the spacecraft or what was in it at the time of the accident.

Cause

Since the CM was designed to endure outward pressure in the vacuum of space, the plugs-out test had been run with the cabin pressure at over 16 psi, almost 2 psi above the ambient sea level pressure at Launch Complex 34 and near the upper limits of measuring devices in the spacecraft. This represented over 5 times the oxygen density within the Mercury and Gemini capsules while in spaceflight (which was only 3 psi but equal to the partial pressure of oxygen at sea level and thus very breathable). Following a worldwide survey of artificial oxygen-rich environments, it was found that rarely if ever had a 100% oxygen environment been created and maintained at such a high pressure, in which a bar of aluminum can burn like wood. The investigation also found much substandard wiring and plumbing in the craft along with a missing socket wrench (which was ruled out as a cause). Hence, the fire was at first believed to have been caused by a spark somewhere in the over 25 km (15 miles) of wiring threaded throughout the command module. A pressure gauge reading in PSI (red scale) and kPa (black scale) The pound-force per square inch (symbol: lbf/in²) is a non-SI unit of pressure based on avoirdupois units. ... Psi has multiple meanings: Psi (letter) (Ψ, ψ) of the Greek alphabet Psi (Cyrillic) (Ѱ, ѱ), letter of the early Cyrillic alphabet, adopted from Greek Psi (parapsychology) Psi (instant messaging client), a popular Jabber client program J/ψ particle, a subatomic particle Wavefunction in Quantum Mechanics, ψ In mathematics, Ψ is used to denote the angle between... In a mixture of ideal gases, each gas has a partial pressure which is the pressure which the gas would have if it alone occupied the volume. ...

The review board noted a silver-plated copper wire running through an environmental control unit near the command module pilot's couch which had become stripped of its Teflon insulation and abraded by repeated opening and closing of a small access door. This weak point in the wiring also ran near a junction in an ethylene glycol/water cooling line which was known to be prone to leaks. The electrolysis of ethylene glycol solution with the silver anode was a notable hazard which could cause a violent exothermic reaction, igniting the ethylene glycol mixture in the CM's corrosive test atmosphere of pure, high-pressure oxygen.^[8] This article is about the chemical element. ... Plating is the general name surface-covering techniques in which a metal is deposited onto a conductive surface. ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Wire (disambiguation). ... The Command/Service Module (CSM) was a spacecraft built for NASA by North American Aviation. ... In chemistry, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer which finds numerous applications. ... Ethylene glycol (monoethylene glycol (MEG), IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an alcohol with two -OH groups (a diol), a chemical compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze. ... In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of separating chemically bonded elements and compounds by passing an electric current through them. ... Diagram of a zinc anode in a galvanic cell. ... In chemistry, an exothermic reaction is one that releases heat. ...

The panel cited how the NASA crew systems department had installed 34 square feet of fuzzy velcro throughout the spacecraft, almost like carpeting. This velcro was found to be explosive in a high-pressure 100% oxygen environment. Up to 70 pounds of other non-metallic flammable materials had crept into the design. Velcro: hooks (left) and loops (right). ...

In 1968 a team of MIT physicists went to Cape Kennedy and performed a static discharge test in the Apollo-8 spacecraft while it was being prepared for launch. With an electroscope, they measured the approximate energy of static discharges caused by a test crew dressed in nylon flight pressure suits and reclining on the nylon flight seats. The MIT investigators found sufficient energy for ignition discharged repeatedly when crewmembers shifted in their seats and then touched the spacecraft's aluminum panels. An electroscope is a device which is used to detect the presence and magnitude of electric charge on a body. ...

The ignition source for the fire was never determined.

Command module redesign

After the fire the Apollo project was grounded. In hindsight the command module was understood to be extremely hazardous and in some instances, carelessly assembled. Many design changes were made, among them:

• At launch the cabin atmosphere would be at sea-level pressure and consist of 60% oxygen and 40% nitrogen, lowering to 5 psi during ascent and gradually changing over to 100% oxygen at about 2 psi during the first 24 hours of the trans-lunar coast.
• The hatch would open outward (which had already been planned) and be openable in less than ten seconds.
• Flammable materials in the cabin were replaced with self-extinguishing versions.
• Plumbing and wiring were covered with protective insulation.
• 1,407 wiring problems were corrected.
• Nylon suits (seen in the crew portrait above) were replaced with suits made of Beta cloth, a non-flammable, melt-resistant glass coated fabric.

Much more thorough protocols were implemented for documenting spacecraft construction and maintenance. By all accounts the design changes were successful and worth the subsequent delay of almost 21 months before the project's successful first launch and completion of a manned mission, Apollo 7. Three years later when Apollo 13 executed an emergency shutdown of the command module after a crippling and life-threatening explosion in the service module while crossing trans-lunar space, water condensation gathered for four days but did not cause any short-outs or fatal sparks when the spacecraft was powered up again minutes before reentry. Moreover, documentation on the Apollo 13 spacecraft was so complete, investigators were able to reconstruct the cause of the explosion from telemetry, construction, maintenance and photographic records without ever examining the service module itself. Flammable or Flammability refers to the ease at which a substance will ignite, causing fire or combustion. ... A plumber wrench for working on pipes and fittings A complex arrangement of rigid steel piping, stop valves regulate flow to various parts of the building. ... Thermal insulation on the Huygens probe The term thermal insulation can refer to materials used to reduce the rate of heat transfer, or the methods and processes used to reduce heat transfer. ... For other uses of this word, see nylon (disambiguation). ... Beta cloth is a type of fireproof silica fiber cloth used in the manufacture of space suit Thermal Micrometeoroid Garments and in other specialized applications. ... Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. ... This article is about the Apollo mission. ... Atmospheric entry is the transition from the vacuum of space to the atmosphere of any planet or other celestial body. ...

1961 Soviet oxygen fire

In March 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Valentin Bondarenko was killed when a fire started in the pure-oxygen atmosphere of an isolation chamber but the USSR concealed this tragedy for over 20 years, which subsequently caused some speculation as to whether or not the Apollo 1 disaster might have been averted had NASA been aware of the incident.^[9] However, the design hazards of a 100% oxygen environment had been well-described by 1967 and many deaths from flash fires in pure oxygen at or near sea-level pressure had been publicly reported during the 1950s and 60s. A 1966 editorial in the journal Space/Aeronautics asserted "The odds are that the first spaceflight casualty due to environmental exposure will occur not in space, but on the ground", and further noted that safety protocols for the Apollo project were thoroughly lacking.^[10] U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. ... Valentin Vasiliyevich Bondarenko (February 16, 1937 in Kharkov, Ukrainian SSR - March 23, 1961 in Moscow, USSR ) was a Soviet cosmonaut of Ukrainian descent. ...

Mission insignia

The Apollo 1 insignia (see this article's infobox for an image of it) has a center showing a command service module flying over the southeastern United States with Florida (the launch point) prominent. The moon is seen in the distance, symbolic of the eventual program goal. A yellow border carries the mission and astronaut names with another border set with stars and stripes, trimmed in gold. This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ...

Memorials

Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee were buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Ed White was buried at the cemetery of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Their names are also enshrined on the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... West Point Cemetery is an historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. ... USMA redirects here. ... West Point painting West Point is a federal military base (and a census-designated place) located in the Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York. ... Space Mirror The Space Mirror Memorial, also known as the Astronaut Memorial, is a memorial on the grounds of the John F. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida. ... Merritt Island and Kennedy Space Center (shown in white). ... Merritt Island is a census designated place in Brevard County, on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of Florida. ...

An Apollo 1 mission patch was left on the moon's surface during the first manned lunar landing by Apollo 11. This article covers the Apollo 11 mission itself. ...

Launch Complex 34

Launch platform at LC-34 with Apollo 1 dedication plaque visible on right rear post

Dedication plaque attached to launch platform at LC-34

Memorial plaque attached to launch platform at LC-34

Launch Complex 34 was subsequently used only for the launch of Apollo 7 and later dismantled but the launch platform remains at the site (28.52182° N 80.561258° W) along with a few other concrete and steel-reinforced structures. The launch platform bears two plaques noting the tragedy. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1775 KB) Summary By Elizabeth Cheney, Dec 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1775 KB) Summary By Elizabeth Cheney, Dec 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1848 KB) Summary Photo by Elizabeth Cheney, December 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1848 KB) Summary Photo by Elizabeth Cheney, December 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata LC34plaque2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata LC34plaque2. ... A Saturn I at Pad 34, ready for mission SA-3 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) is a launch site at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. ...

One reads: LAUNCH COMPLEX 34, Friday, 27 January 1967, 1831 Hours. Dedicated to the living memory of the crew of the Apollo 1: USAF. Lt. Colonel Virgil I. Grissom, USAF. Lt. Colonel Edward H. White, II, U.S.N. Lt. Commander Roger B. Chaffee. They gave their lives in service to their country in the ongoing exploration of humankind's final frontier. Remember them not for how they died but for those ideals for which they lived.

The other reads: In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so others could reach for the stars, Ad astra per aspera, [a rough road leads to the stars] God speed to the crew of Apollo 1.

In January 2005 three granite benches built by a college classmate of one of the astronauts, one for each member of the crew, were installed at the site.

Each year the families of the Apollo 1 crew are invited to the site for a memorial, and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center offers a visit to the site for those who choose to take a special tour to the older launch sites on Cape Canaveral.

Stars, landmarks on the Moon and Mars

• Three stars, Navi, Dnoces and Regor, were named in honor of the crew (the names are Ivan, Second and Roger spelled backwards - Ivan was Grissom's middle name and Second was Edward H. White II). The crew used these stars to calibrate their equipment and as a practical joke, recorded the names in official NASA documentation. They eventually stuck as a posthumous honor.^[11]

• Craters on the Moon and hills on Mars are named after the three astronauts.

Epsilon Cassiopeiae (ε Cas / ε Cassiopeiae) is a star system in the constellation Cassiopeia. ... Iota Ursae Majoris (ι UMa / ι Ursae Majoris) is a star system in the constellation Ursa Major. ... Regor is the name of the star γ Velorum in the constellation Vela, ships sail. ... 14 craters on the Moon have been named after astronauts and cosmonauts who have died as part of a space mission. ... Apollo Hills panorama from the MER-A landing site The Apollo 1 Hills are three vastly separated hills located in Gusev Crater, on Mars, identified with the Spirit Rover. ...

Naming of Apollo 1

When North American Aviation shipped spacecraft CM-012 to Kennedy Space Center it bore a banner proclaiming it as Apollo One. Grissom's crew had received approval for an Apollo 1 patch in June 1966 but NASA was planning to call the mission "AS-204." After the fire, the astronauts' widows asked that Apollo 1 be reserved for the flight their husbands never made. North American Aviation was a major US aircraft manufacturer. ... Merritt Island and Kennedy Space Center (shown in white). ...

Apollo 1's (AS-204) Saturn IB rocket was taken down from Launch Complex 34, later reassembled at Launch Complex 37B and used to launch the Apollo 5 LM-1 into earth orbit for the first Lunar Module test mission. Apollo 5 was the first unmanned flight of the Apollo Lunar Module, which would later carry astronauts to the lunar surface. ... Description Role: Lunar landing Crew: 2; CDR, LM pilot Dimensions Height: 20. ...

Effect on early Apollo mission names

For a time mission planners called the next scheduled launch Apollo 2. There were also suggestions the first Apollo CSM flights be named wholly out of chronological sequence as Apollo 1 (AS-204), Apollo 1A (AS-201), Apollo 2 (AS-202) and Apollo 3 (AS-203) but the NASA project designation committee decided on Apollo 4 for the first (unmanned) Apollo-Saturn V mission (AS-501), with no retroactive renaming of earlier missions. Hence, AS-203 is now sometimes informally (and chronologically) referred to as Apollo 2 and likewise, AS-202 as Apollo 3. Apollo One is the name given to the Apollo/Saturn 204 (AS-204) spacecraft after it was destroyed by fire during a training exercise on January 27, 1967, at Pad 34 atop a Saturn IB rocket. ... AS-201 (or SA-201) was the first flight of the Saturn IB launch vehicle. ... AS-202 (or SA-202) was a sub-orbital test flight of the Saturn IB and Command and Service Module. ... AS-203 (or SA-203) was an unmanned flight Saturn IB launch vehicle. ... Apollo 4 was the first unmanned flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. ... Due to budget constraints there were many canceled Apollo missions during Project Apollo. ... Launch of AS-202 AS-202 (or SA-202) was a sub-orbital test flight of the Saturn IB and Command and Service Module. ...

Civic and other memorials

• Three public schools in Huntsville, Alabama (home of George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the United States Space & Rocket Center): Virgil Grissom High School[1], Ed White Middle School[2] and Roger B. Chaffee Elementary[3].

• Edward White Middle School[4] in White's hometown, San Antonio TX.

• Three man-made oil drilling islands in the harbor off Long Beach, California are named Grissom, White and Chaffee. A fourth island is named for Theodore Freeman, an Air Force test pilot chosen as an astronaut in 1963 but who was killed while piloting a T-38 jet when it crashed at Ellington AFB.

• A road that formerly ran through Kent County International Airport (KGRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Chaffee's hometown, was named Roger B. Chaffee Memorial Boulevard after the airport was moved further from the city limits.

• White Hall and Grissom Hall at Chanute Air Force Base (closed, 1993), Rantoul, Illinois.

• The names of Grissom, White and Chaffee are used for streets in Wheatfield NY. These are connected to Niagara Blvd and located near the Bell plant, where the X planes were built in the 1940s. There is a museum dedicated to the work of Bell in the aeronautic sciences.

• Grissom AFB (formerly Bunker Hill AFB, 65 miles north of Indianapolis, Indiana) was renamed for Grissom on 12 May 1968.

• Two buildings on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana are named for Grissom and Chaffee (both Purdue alumni). Grissom Hall houses the School of Industrial Engineering (and was home to the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics before it moved into the new Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering). Chaffee Hall is the administration complex of Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories where thermal sciences and rocket propulsion are studied.

• Grissom Parkway runs between Cocoa and Titusville, Florida, intersecting White Drive and Chaffee Drive near the Titusville police department.

• Virgil I. Grissom Library, Newport News, Virginia.

Huntsville, Alabama (top center), near the Tennessee border, is north of Birmingham and northeast of Decatur, across the Tennessee River flowing northwest. ... The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is a lead NASA center for propulsion and for computers, networks, and information management. ... Some of the rockets in the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. ... Virgil I. Grissom High School is a public 9th through 12th grade high school in Huntsville, Alabama with approximately 2000 students. ... Ed White Middle School is a public 6th through 8th grade middle school in Huntsville, Alabama. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles County Government  - Mayor Bob Foster Area  - City  65. ... Theodore Cordy Freeman (born February 18, 1930, in Haverford, Pennsylvania; died October 31, 1964 at Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, Texas) was a NASA astronaut and a captain in the United States Air Force. ... FAA diagram of Ellington Field (EFD) Ellington Field (IATA: EFD, ICAO: KEFD, FAA LID: EFD) is an airport located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of downtown Houston, within Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas. ... Gerald R. Ford International Airport (IATA: GRR, ICAO: KGRR) is a small commercial airport located a few miles southeast of Grand Rapids, Michigan. ... Grand Rapids redirects here. ... Aerial Photo of Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois - 1982 Chanute Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in Rantoul, Illinois. ... Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. ... Indianapolis redirects here. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Purdue redirects here. ... Chauncey Village area of West Lafayette West Lafayette (IPA: ) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, 65 miles (105km) northwest of Indianapolis. ...

Remains of CM-012

The Apollo 1 command module has never been on public display. After the accident the burned-out spacecraft was removed and taken to Kennedy Space Center to be studied for any information that might prevent a recurrence of the tragedy. It was then moved to the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia and placed in a secured storage warehouse. On February 17, 2007 the wreckage of CM-012 was moved approximately 100 feet to a newer, environmentally-controlled warehouse.^[12] Only a few weeks earlier Gus Grissom's brother Lowell publicly suggested CM-012 be permanently entombed in the concrete remains of Launch Complex 34.^[13] Langley Research Center NASA Langley 14 x 22 foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel. ... Motto: Americas First Location in the State of Virginia Coordinates: County Independent City Mayor Ross Kearney II Area    - City 352. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Dramatizations

An episode of the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon told the story of the Apollo 1 disaster and its aftermath. It starred Mark Rolston as Gus Grissom, Chris Isaak as Ed White and Ben Marley as Roger Chaffee. For other uses, see HBO (disambiguation). ... From the Earth to the Moon is a twelve-part HBO television miniseries (1998) co-produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tom Hanks, and Michael Bostick detailing the landmark Apollo expeditions to the Moon during the 1960s and early 1970s. ... Mark Rolston (R) in Aliens Mark Rolston (December 7, 1956 - ) an American actor, born in Baltimore, Maryland. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

In the film Apollo 13 the tragedy was briefly depicted in the opening scenes of the film (with narration provided by former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite) and later discussed in a bedroom scene between father Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) and his young son Jeff (Miko Hughes). When his mother tells him there is a problem with Apollo 13 Jeff asks warily, "Was it the door?" Apollo 13 is a 1995 film portrayal of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970. ... CBS News logo, used from Sept. ... Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. ... Captain James Jim Arthur Lovell, Jr. ... Thomas Jeffrey Tom Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-, two-time Emmy-, four-time Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning American film actor, director, voice-over artist, writer and film producer. ... {{Infobox_Actor | name = Miko Hughes | image = replace this image1. ...

In the closing moments of the film The Right Stuff, the fates of each of the Mercury Seven astronauts are revealed, including that of Gus Grissom (Fred Ward). Original seven Astronauts portrait (L-R: Schirra, Shepard, Slayton, Grissom, Glenn, Cooper, Carpenter) The Mercury Seven was the group of seven Mercury astronauts picked in April 1959. ... Frederick Ward (born December 30, 1942) is an American actor. ...

See also

• Apollo program
• List of space disasters
• Joseph Francis Shea

This article is about the series of human spaceflight missions. ... Test pilot Stuart Present ejects safely from the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle. ... Joseph Francis Shea (September 5, 1926- February 14, 1999) was manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office (ASPO) during the early years of the Apollo program, at the height of Americas efforts to land a man on the Moon. ...

Notes and references

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sources

• Lattimer, Dick (1985): All We Did was Fly to the Moon, Whispering Eagle Press. ISBN 0-9611228-0-3.
• Bergaust, Eric (1968): Murder on Pad 34, Puntam Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0399105630. Includes useful data (along with the less useful conspiracy theory).

External links

• NASA Apollo 1 website
• Baron testimony at investigation before Olin Teague, 21. April 1967
• Report on accident
• Apollo 1 Crew- U.S. Spaceflight History Biography

v • d • e Missions of the Apollo program SA-1 · SA-2 · SA-3 · SA-4 · QTV · Pad Abort Test-1 · SA-5 · A-001 · A-101 · A-102 · A-002 · A-103 · A-003 · A-104 · Pad Abort Test-2 · A-105 · A-004 · AS-201 · AS-203 · AS-202 · Apollo 1 · Apollo 4 · Apollo 5 · Apollo 6 · Apollo 7 · Apollo 8 · Apollo 9 · Apollo 10 · Apollo 11 · Apollo 12 · Apollo 13 · Apollo 14 · Apollo 15 · Apollo 16 · Apollo 17 · Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Canceled Apollo missions This article is about the series of human spaceflight missions. ... SA-1 was the first flight of a Saturn I launch vehicle and was part of the Apollo Program. ... SA-2 was the second flight Saturn I launch vehicle, the first flight of Project High Water and was part of the Apollo Program. ... SA-3 was the third flight Saturn I launch vehicle, the second flight of Project High Water and was part of the Apollo Program. ... SA-4 was the fourth flight of a Saturn I launch vehicle and the last of the initial test phase of the first stage. ... Little Joe II QTV was the first, Qualification Flight Test of the Apollo Little Joe II rocket. ... Pad Abort Test 1 was the first abort test of the Apollo spacecraft. ... SA-5 was the first launch of the Block II Saturn I rocket and was part of the Apollo Program. ... A-001 was the second abort test of the Apollo spacecraft. ... A-101 was the first Saturn rocket launch to carry a boilerplate Apollo spacecraft. ... A-102 was the first Saturn rocket launch to carry a boilerplate Apollo spacecraft. ... A-002 was the third abort test of the Apollo spacecraft. ... A-103 (SA-9) launch. ... A-003 was the fourth abort test of the Apollo spacecraft. ... A-104 was the ninth test flight of the Saturn I. This mission was the second flight in the Saturn I operational series and the fourth vehicle to carry an Apollo boilerplate spacecraft. ... Pad Abort Test 2 was the second pad abort test of the Apollo spacecraft. ... A-105 was the third flight of an operational Saturn I and was the last in the series of Saturn I flights. ... A-004 was the sixth and final abort test of the Apollo spacecraft. ... AS-201 (or SA-201) was the first flight of the Saturn IB launch vehicle. ... AS-203 (or SA-203) was an unmanned flight Saturn IB launch vehicle. ... AS-202 (or SA-202) was a sub-orbital test flight of the Saturn IB and Command and Service Module. ... Apollo 4 was the first unmanned flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. ... Apollo 5 was the first unmanned flight of the Apollo Lunar Module, which would later carry astronauts to the lunar surface. ... Apollo 6, launched in April 1968, was the Apollo programs second and last unmanned test flight of its Saturn V launch vehicle. ... Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. ... Apollo 8 was the Apollo space programs second successful manned mission. ... Apollo 9 was the third manned mission in the Apollo program, a ten day Earth-orbital mission launched 3 March 1969. ... Apollo 10 was the fourth manned mission in the Apollo program, and the first (and only manned Saturn V) mission to launch from pad 39B. The mission included the second crew to orbit the Moon, and the test of the lunar module in lunar orbit. ... This article covers the Apollo 11 mission itself. ... Apollo 12 was the sixth manned mission in the Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. ... This article is about the Apollo mission. ... Apollo 14 was the eighth manned mission in the Apollo program and the third mission to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fourth mission to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 16 was the tenth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fifth mission to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 17 was the eleventh manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program. ... The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint flight of the U.S. and Soviet space programs. ... Due to budget constraints there were many canceled Apollo missions during Project Apollo. ...