Today in history, 1967 - Apollo 1 Astronauts killed in flash fire in capsule

[lastlib]

https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/apollo-missions/apollo-1
During a preflight test on January 27, 1967 for what was to be the first crewed Apollo mission, a fire claimed the lives of three U.S. astronauts; Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edwar H. White and Roger B. Chaffee. After the disaster, the mission, which has previously been referred to as Apollo-Saturn 204 (AS-204), was officially designated Apollo 1, which was name for the mission the crew had intended to use.

The fire was caused by a spark from an electrical wire that ignited a fire in the pure oxygen-rich environment inside the spacecraft. The astronauts were unable to escape due to the lack of a hatch that could be opened from the inside.

"If we die, we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life. " --Gus Grissom

** ** ** ** RIP, heroes.

[Javaman]

1. A truly horrific way to go.

[lastlib]

2. Eighteen agonizing seconds........

and it took five minutes to open the hatch from the outside.

[Javaman]

3. it still amazes me that, up to that point, NASA didn't think that a interior latch handle would be a good idea. nt

[MustLoveBeagles]

4. ...