Apollo 1 Disaster
The Apollo 1 Disaster refers to the tragic events of January 27, 1967, when a fire erupted inside the Apollo 1 command module during a pre-launch test. This mission, initially designated Apollo/Saturn 204, was intended to validate spacecraft and crew operations for future Earth-orbit missions. The crew consisted of astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee, who were preparing for a mission that was crucial to the Apollo program, which aimed to land humans on the Moon.
On the day of the disaster, technicians were conducting routine checks when they heard a distressing cry from inside the spacecraft about a fire. Despite the rapid response from rescue teams, the intense heat from a pure oxygen environment made the situation dire. Autopsies later indicated that the astronauts died from asphyxiation due to toxic gas inhalation. The aftermath of the fire led to significant changes in safety protocols, including the replacement of flammable materials within the spacecraft.
The disaster not only postponed the Apollo program's lunar ambitions but also raised concerns about the safety of U.S. space missions, leading to a reevaluation of engineering practices and design standards in subsequent missions. Apollo 1 remains a poignant reminder of the risks inherent in space exploration.
Apollo 1 Disaster
Date: January 27, 1967
The worst disaster in the nation’s race to the Moon. Three astronauts died while performing routine duties in a simulated space flight.
Origins and History
The Apollo flights to the Moon followed the Mercury and Gemini programs. Six successful Mercury missions proved that humans could endure the space environment. Gemini astronauts completed five successful missions, one lasting two weeks. These astronauts practiced walks in space and spacecraft rendezvous and docking procedures. The Apollo program would culminate decades of investigations and applications of aerodynamics, rocket propulsion, aerospace medicine, and electronics.
The Disaster
The Apollo 1 mission, manned by Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee, was to verify spacecraft and crew operations and the command service module subsystem’s performance for an Earth-orbit mission of up to fourteen days’ duration.
Many problems dogged the Apollo program. The spacecraft was held up by problems associated with the water glycol pump for the command module environmental control unit, necessitating a couple of replacement units. When the spacecraft arrived at Cape Kennedy, program managers complained that much of the remaining engineering work should have been completed before the spacecraft left the factory. Training activities did not seem to run more smoothly. Technicians found it nearly impossible to keep up with the multiple modifications needed to keep the training simulator current with changes made to the spacecraft. Grissom finally hung a lemon on the trainer.
By fall of 1966, the Design Certification Review Board met and agreed the spacecraft conformed to design requirements and was flightworthy. On January 27, 1967, an army of technicians ran through the routine checklists. Round-the-clock shifts replaced each other after finishing their checklists and reporting readiness.
Suddenly, during a simulation in the clean room at Launch Complex 34, at 6:31 p.m., technicians heard a cry over the radio circuit from inside the spacecraft, “There is a fire in here.” Choking and gasping in dense smoke, technicians finally removed the spacecraft’s hatches. By the time firefighters arrived, smoke had cleared enough to attempt to pull the astronauts’ bodies out. Just fourteen minutes after the first alarm, the firefighters had great difficulty removing the bodies of Grissom, White, and Chaffee because the molten nylon of the spacesuits had fused from the extreme heat produced by a pure oxygen fire.
Impact
Autopsies revealed the astronauts died from asphyxiation brought on by inhalation of toxic gases. It would not be until mid-1969 more than two years later that acceptable solutions for the many problems evolving from the Apollo 1 investigation could be resolved. The greatest difficulty involved replacing combustible materials with nonflammables in clothing, towels, food bags, and all personal gear. The disaster delayed the mission of reaching the Moon and eroded people’s confidence in U.S. space capabilities.
Additional Information
Two books that provide further information on the disaster and the Apollo program are Chariots for Apollo (1979), NASA History Series, and Carrying the Fire (1974), by Michael Collins.