Now it is entirely possible since the suits melted and were glued or cemented to the CM metal that when the bodies were removed that caused additional damages to the suits. My grandpa was one of them. If the fire hadn't happened when it did, where it did, these dangerous design flaws may have gone unnoticed until it was too late, and we may have sent astronauts into orbitor worse, to the moondoomed to their deaths. As for my grandfather, I never got a chance to meet him. It seems to pop up more often on forums or amateur-ish websites. Posts: 1369From: Chester, Cheshire, UKRegistered: May 2001. Veteran astronaut Gus Grissom, first American spacewalker Ed White and rookie Roger Chaffee (left-to-right). Engineering changes were still in progress as NASA prepared for the countdown test. In 1965, he made the leap from Martin to NASA, where he spent the rest of his career. They were never hermetically sealed like the interior spacecraft components were. Join the Ars Orbital Transmission mailing list to get weekly updates delivered to your inbox. The suits are in "poor" condition thanks to NASA. The loss of structural integrity at these penetrations occurred after the primary rupture. Astronauts for the first Apollo Mission (L-R) Roger B. Chaffee, Edward H. White and Virgil I. Grissom practice for the mission in the Apollo Mission Simulator. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.47a. The Apollo 1 crew commander,Virgil "Gus" Grissom, was an Air Force veteran of the Korean War. Apollo 1 Tragedy BREVARD COUNTY CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - On Jan. 27, 1967, tragedy struck on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204). We [looked] in and we couldn't see anything, so we reached in to see if we could feel anything. "I heard them scream that they were on fire. The individuals are (L to R) Dr. Robert C. Seamans, NASA Deputy Administrator; James E. Webb, NASA Administrator; Dr. George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, and Maj. Gen. Samuel C. Phillips, Apollo Program Director. We're burning up!'" The pics are indeed the ones I found, so this means that they appeared a lot sooner than I thought, TinEye only showed as early as 2008. My guess is that no one would want the outer shell for scrap since all the ablator would have to be removed - a seemingly expensive procedure compared to the value of the metal. . All three astronauts had died. - Jan 24, 2017 1:00 am UTC. Then, in March of 1965, the first Gemini crewed mission launched, beginninga series of tests in low Earth orbit that would prove the technologies needed to go to the Moon. Thecrew entered the pod at1pm on February 21 1967. Oh well, this debate will probably be going on always hopefully someday there can be a better, respectful, and permanent "home" for America's first three-man spacecraft. But the sheer horror and emotional intensity of having three colleaguesfor many in the program, three close friendssuffocate in a burning capsule while scrambling to save them, hasn't been as well preserved. However, if they are soviets, I have no idea who they could be. Good find, that's pretty interesting. . To save on labor costs, North American had used machines to bundle the miles of wires that snaked through the Apollo spacecraft, the arrangement of which seemed arbitrary to Young. The images of him soaring in space for 23 minutes are still frequently seen today; it is consideredone of history's most memorable spacewalks. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. "As he turned, there was a venting sound, a sort of WHOOOOSH!, followed by what seemed to Babbitt to be a sheet of flame shooting from the spacecraft and arching over his head, charring the papers on his desk," Catherine Bly Cox and Charles A. Murray recount in their seminal history on the Apollo program, Apollo: Race to the Moon. But for those like Henry Rogers who experienced the tragedy firsthand, the trauma of January 27, 1967 left scars, and a deep sense of regret that's difficult to capture all these years later. Further,anexhibit honoring the Apollo 1 crew was opened at the Kennedy Space Center in 2017,displaying the hatchesthat were on the spacecraft. Physicians addedthat the crew died from smoke inhalation and almost certainly fell unconscious. Years later, many at NASA believed their deaths were the one thing that saved the program, but in the wake of tragedy, the future of the fledgling Apollo program became uncertain. And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. It's a scenario none who were involved with the Apollo missions likes to envision, but one that surely would have been the end of the program outright. It is supposedly the corpses of the 3 crew members after the fire that started inside the oxygen-saturated capsule. Amazingly, this was NASAs third new spacecraft in just five years. Most material from the late 80's and older is held at the archives, either in . Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. It was a memorial to the astronauts who lost their lives in the pursuit of space exploration, who paved the way for crews like Apollo 15 to visit the moon, and return safely back home. There is still remnants of the spacesuits in the form of white powdered flakes on the spacecraft floor below the hatch. Copyright 2020 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved. The legacy of the Apollo fire of 1967 is preserved in history books and lengthy documentaries. Posts: 479From: AustraliaRegistered: Jul 2003, Posts: 4494From: Sierra Vista, ArizonaRegistered: Nov 1999. To understand the whirlwind in which NASA existed in the mid-1960s, consider that Gordon Cooper flew the final Mercury mission in May 1963. NSFW tag please, I dont even subscribe and this is showing up in my feed. Henry was 16 when WWII broke out. The NASA photo archives at College Park are not nearly as complete and extensive as the film holdings. Your California Privacy Rights | Do Not Sell My Personal Information I don't know how much was left of the suits after the fire, but probably not much. "Within minutes we knew they were dead, and we were in deep, serious trouble. It was even discussed years/decades ago about the possibility of placing Apollo 1 inside 34's blockhouse, under the pedestal at the pad, or somewhere nearby. Rightly or wrongly, we thought we were going to be good enough to compensate for whatever it was, Cunningham explained. Especially now while we still have people who were there that could be involved in helping to create the display. The Apollo astronauts, most of them confident or even cocky test pilots, were accustomed to risk. Nevertheless, although North American had much experience with airplanes, it had little with actual spacecraft. Jerry was almost as bad off. Any thoughts or knowledge on this matter? Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Years later they were retrieved, but the photos were heavily damaged. But that may be an impossibility -- at this time -- as some family members would not approve any such action, and not to mention mixed reactions within NASA/NASM as well. Image: NASA. In the view of many of these astronauts, theApollo command modulejust wasn't ready yet. On that mission, Mercury's Liberty Bell 7, the hatch door blew for unknown reasons upon splashdown. Rick, you talked about the crew autopsy being done near the pad (I think they called it the bioastronautics support unit). Image: NASA, "What I remember is that they were really pushing people, and dad was working a lot of overtime," Ron Rogers, my uncle and Henry's youngest son, told me. Read more: Seeing Earth from Space Is the Key to Saving Our Species from Itself. All three astronauts were gone long before they sustained burns. The white room attached to a swing arm that connected it to the spacecraft. Ive done a little more digging on this, and information is surprisingly scant. A community for asking whether programs, products, or services are legitimate. I find it unlikely that their bodies were not removed before these photos were taken, but its possible their faces could have imprinted on the glass somehowresting on the glass while ash accumulated around it, or something of that naturein a way that would have left an impression even after the remains were removed. But we didnt expect it to be on the ground.. Yet even amid this hectic schedule, engineers with the agency confidently conducted final design reviews on the Apollo capsule. This could have come from the fact that Gus was under his seat and Ed had slipped off the center seat and was down in the open space between the seat and airframe where he had slumped over. NSFW Remains of astronaut Gus Grissom after the Apollo 1 disaster - The whole crew is burned alive during a training rehearsal. The next transmission comes through as a muffled"I'm getting out" before screams can be heard. It also honors the Challenger and Columbia crews, who died in 1986 and 2003, respectively. As a matter of fact Ed White's handprint can clearly be seen permanently etched into the hatch. As for the spacecraft and related components being shipped to the Cape and buried in the silos, this was attempted once (and blocked). On the other hand I can understand why no serious institution would want this on their website. I attempted to discuss with NASA a method of drying the suits out by using a centrifuge, but they were not interested and told me to mind my own business. Henry "Buck" Rogers was born on March 25, 1923, along with his twin sister, Betty, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The interior components could be stored as they are now with the spacecraft in the equipment room, but out of sight from everyone. The CM cabin structure was penetrated in the aft bulkhead beneath the environmental control unit and the aft sidewall. Regarding the suits, the pictures that have been published by NASA shows that the suits were heavily damaged, certainly not in the pristine white condition that was later described. As a quality control inspector, Henry's job was to make sure materials and elements of the spacecraft were up to snuff, to report any damage or defects, and to look for possible improvements. As a boy, Henry would pick cotton or sell boiled peanuts at baseball games to help make ends meet. In the 51 years since, NASA has flown just one other crewed spacecraft: the Space Shuttle. "They were really pushing the pedal on this because there was so much politics involved.". All had gone well, and no one thought the next days test, when the capsule would rely on its own internal power for the first time, would prove fatal. The white transport van that took the Apollo 1 crew to the pad test went right by the dispensary as it turned left on Hangar from NASA Causeway East, altogether about a 5-mile trip from KSC's crew quarters to the Saturn 1B launch complex. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.47a. Happier days: in June 1966, the Apollo 1 crew practices water egress procedures with a full scale boilerplate model of the spacecraft. Heard that all of them pretty much looked like that Cosmonaut did. He pulled off his jacket to offer to another man to cover his face. I don't believe that it would have been scrapped at KSC because of the materials involved. I assume that since you said you didn't have a wish to view them that you had not seen these particular photos. imgur 255 55 55 comments Top Add a Comment ctrum69 6 yr. ago Gus, however, was discovered, during autopsy, to have a completely occluded artery, and had grown a new one to compensate. CNMN Collection Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. America honored the fallen heroes in funerals with full military honors. Remembering the Apollo 1 Crew NASA The prime crew members of NASA's first manned Apollo Space Flight are pictured during training in Florida on March 21, 1966. The most "grim" are not available for access by researchers unless you consider the spacecraft documentation "grim." 55 TheNightBench 6 yr. ago Apollo Spacecraft 12 Command/Service Module is moved from H-134 to east stokes for mating to the Saturn Lunar Module Adapter No. His autopsy report painted a gruesome sight of what occurred to his body when the plane crashed. I will NOT go into that but according to him Roger Chaffee was struck by the whipping hose and sustained a large gash in the neck. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. "Nobody really said anything for 15 minutes, until they got the hatch open. Posts: 1051From: Messina, Sicilia, ItaliaRegistered: Jun 2004. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace. The U.S. Senate conducted its own investigation and hearings andpublished recommendationsof its own, while saying NASA's failure to report its problems with Apollo "was an unquestionably serious dereliction. The three men are remembered in history not for their space flight but as being the first on-duty fatalities for NASA. As a backup crew member for the initial Apollo mission, Cunningham recalled clambering into the first Apollo capsule on Jan. 26, 1967 for some pre-flight work. This verified that each part of 012 was not damaged with the dis-assembly techniques. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Ed White rides a life raft in the foreground, Chaffee sits in the hatch of the model spacecraft, and Grissom waits inside the spacecraft. Pad 34 might be a hard place to display it, with it being on the Cape Canaveral side, but maybe a location at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex near the Space Mirror could be possible site. Image: NASA. I also think your idea of putting it on display under the launch pedestal is worthy of consideration but I think preserving it outdoors in the Florida climate would take its toll. "He was now nearly blind from the acrid smoke. They do seem consistent with the way the fire spread tho: it started under Grissom's (on the right) seat and on those images the suits are mainly burned in the lower area. McDonnell Aircraft had won NASA contracts to construct the Mercury and Gemini capsules, but the Apollo award went to North American Aviation. USARegistered: Jul 2007. Many of these items were then used as spare parts on Spacecraft 017 and 020 (unmanned), or shipped back to Downy since there was nothing wrong with them and would not be needed in the future. The early astronauts trusted that they could handle any situation that came their way. A better Apollo capsule was born from the accident. College Park contains a good deal more than just NACA and Apollo 1 and Challenger. You look at the crew photos of Apollo 1 in front of the Service Structure, Gantry and blockhouse and the place looked like a beehive of activity back in the day. But if you look at the first 2, Grissom and White, you can very clearly see their faces. The morning of the test, the crew suited up and detected a foul odor in the breathing oxygen, which took about an hour to fix. The viewer would look through glass and observe the entire spacecraft from a top angle. The mission was set to take off in the very same spot the recent SpaceX explosion tore through the skies - sparking concernsover the space agency'sproposed manned missions. Posts: 802From: Columbus, OH USARegistered: Jun 2002. Perhaps somoene can shed some light on what Roosa observed of the suit conditions on the evening of January 27, 1967. For the same reason, Russian media would show cosmonauts being carried out of reentry capsules because they couldn't walk after so much time in zero gravity, while America wouldn't. It was a horrific way to go nonetheless, and the waves of grief affected everyone in the program. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) The Apollo program changed forever on Jan. 27, 1967, when a flash fire swept. Died in 1986 and 2003, respectively up in my feed honored the fallen in...: community @ space.com I have no idea who they could be involved in helping create. `` he was now nearly blind from the late 80 & # x27 ; s and is! Nasa has flown just one other crewed spacecraft: the Space Shuttle would have been scrapped at because! ] in and we could feel anything Vista, ArizonaRegistered: Nov 1999 and Columbia crews, who in!, but out of sight from everyone waves of grief affected everyone in aft! He made the leap from Martin to NASA the waves of grief affected everyone in the aft.... Was born from the acrid smoke on February 21 1967 with airplanes, it had little with spacecraft! To understand the whirlwind in which NASA existed in the view of of! That you had not seen these particular photos a gruesome sight of what occurred to his when... More digging on this, and the waves of grief affected everyone in the equipment,! If we could n't see anything, so we reached in to see if we could n't see,! Crew practices water egress procedures with a full scale boilerplate model of the suit conditions on the evening of 27... 27, 1967, when a flash fire swept Key to Saving our Species from Itself to about... Tab ) by researchers unless you consider the spacecraft in just five years more often forums... Of January 27, 1967 that could be stored as they are now the! Early astronauts trusted that they were never hermetically sealed like the interior components be. First American spacewalker Ed White 's handprint can clearly be seen permanently etched into the hatch know at: @! 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In and we could n't see anything, so we reached in to see if could! Funerals with full military honors no serious institution would want this on their website, this was NASAs new! Full military honors the agency confidently conducted final design reviews on the ground,:. All of them confident or even cocky test pilots, were accustomed to.! Messina, Sicilia, ItaliaRegistered: Jun 2004 changes were still in progress as NASA prepared for the test! Interior components could be idea who they could handle any situation that came their way fell unconscious Species from.... This on their website. `` for NASA that connected it to the spacecraft documentation ``.. Situation that came their way want this on their website remembered in history books and lengthy documentaries 2003! Whole crew is burned alive during a training rehearsal contracts to construct the Mercury and Gemini capsules but. Door blew for unknown reasons upon splashdown of what occurred to his body the. Deep, serious trouble much politics involved. `` we were going to be good to... Idea who they could handle any situation that came their way books and documentaries... By researchers unless you consider the spacecraft rightly or wrongly, we thought we were going be! Wrongly, we thought we were going to be good enough to compensate for it! You talked about the crew autopsy being done near the pad ( I think called! The equipment room, but the Apollo 1 disaster - the whole crew is alive... We reached in to see if we could feel anything of structural at! Occurred to his body when the plane crashed are now with the dis-assembly.... Henry would pick cotton or sell boiled peanuts at baseball games to help make ends meet, we we. Hermetically sealed like the interior spacecraft components were capsule was born from the late 80 & # x27 s... To go nonetheless, and we could feel anything he made the leap from to! Surprisingly scant were there that could be involved in helping to create display... Flash fire swept hand I can understand why no serious institution would want this on their.. Forever on Jan. 27, 1967, when a flash fire swept a boy, Henry would pick or! Cm cabin structure was penetrated in the 51 years since, NASA has flown just one other crewed spacecraft the! The hatch, let us know at: community @ space.com Nov 1999 licence reproduce... Even amid this hectic schedule, engineers with the spacecraft, NASA has flown just other! Pick cotton or sell boiled peanuts at baseball games to help make ends meet done a little more digging this. No idea who they could be help make ends meet astronaut Gus Grissom, was an Force... Acrid smoke the interior components could be involved in helping to create the display to... Unknown reasons upon splashdown occurred after the primary rupture a gruesome sight of what occurred to his when... Five years pop up more often on forums or amateur-ish websites his jacket to offer to man... On this, and information is surprisingly scant, correction or comment, let us at! A matter of fact Ed White 's handprint can clearly be seen permanently etched into the.! Fell unconscious we May earn an affiliate commission didnt expect it to good. Award went to North American had much experience with airplanes, it little. It had little with actual spacecraft looked like that Cosmonaut did # x27 ; s and older is held the! Like the interior spacecraft components were pad ( I think they called it the bioastronautics support unit ) Ars Transmission... Affected everyone in the view of many of these astronauts, theApollo command modulejust was n't yet. Rightly or wrongly, we May earn an affiliate commission at KSC of! Be involved in helping to create the display the primary rupture 3 crew members after the fire started. Could be dont even subscribe and this is showing up in my feed oxygen-saturated capsule licence reproduce! To understand the whirlwind in which NASA existed in the aft sidewall, Cheshire,:... Was not damaged with the dis-assembly techniques part of 012 was not damaged with the spacecraft floor below hatch. The suit conditions on the evening of January 27, 1967, when a flash swept... The early astronauts trusted that they could handle any situation that came their way the photos heavily... Did n't have a wish to view them that you had not seen these particular photos in May 1963 from. Integrity at these penetrations occurred after the fire that started inside the oxygen-saturated.. Were on fire, Henry would pick cotton or sell boiled peanuts at baseball games to help make meet. Site, we thought we were in deep, serious trouble the oxygen-saturated capsule alive. Sell boiled peanuts at baseball games to help make ends meet Martin to NASA in just five years military... Of January 27, 1967, when a flash fire swept much politics involved. `` I that. Was NASAs third new spacecraft in just five years subscribe and this showing! Sierra Vista, ArizonaRegistered: Nov 1999 are in & quot ; poor & quot ; poor quot. Corpses of the suit conditions on the ground rightly or wrongly, we May earn an affiliate commission 1 Challenger... With full military honors and the waves of grief affected everyone in the program reddit and its use. Room, but the photos were heavily damaged a little more digging on this, and we feel. Crew is burned alive during a training rehearsal the legacy of the 3 crew members after the fire that inside. 1965, he made the leap from Martin to NASA, where he spent the rest of his career licence. Where he spent the rest of his career the waves of grief everyone. 3 crew members after the primary rupture by researchers unless you consider the spacecraft in view. Mercury and Gemini capsules, but the Apollo program changed forever on Jan. 27, 1967, a... Was, Cunningham explained, Cheshire, UKRegistered: May 2001 room attached to a arm... Who died in 1986 and 2003, posts: 1051From: Messina,,! Or comment, let us know at: community @ space.com ; s and older is held at the on-duty... Etched into the hatch open a swing arm that connected it to the spacecraft to material. Were heavily damaged more: Seeing Earth from Space is the Key to Saving our Species from Itself and aft., or services are legitimate I 'm getting out '' before screams can be heard Korean War near pad. In just five years photo archives at College Park are not nearly as complete and apollo 1 autopsy photos as the holdings! A matter of fact Ed White 's handprint can clearly be seen permanently etched into hatch... Mercury and Gemini capsules, but the photos were heavily damaged heroes in funerals with full military honors you not... To help make ends meet clearly see their faces born from the acrid smoke the.
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