Apollo 1

[Gus]

Just wanted to offer a moment of rememberance for the Apollo 1 crew.

40 years ago today.

http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-000618.jpg

[James Pierson]

Thanks Gus. It was a little before my time so Thanks for the solem :( reminder. I am saving it as my next screensaver for an everyday reminder. JP

[dwmzmm]

Remembered...

I was 10 years old when this happened.

[moonzero2]

Solem reminder,... As it looks today.
http://www.robsv.com/cape/c34.html
http://www.robsv.com/cape/c34s1.html
http://www.robsv.com/cape/c34p.html
http://www.robsv.com/cape/c34a.html
Keep The Dream Alive!

[Rocketcrab]

We had just sat down to dinner Saturday evening when my 17-year old mentioned that it was the 40th anniversary of the fire. That made me rather proud of him, that he remembered. I still remember where i was and what i was doing when the news broke. Some things you just never forget.

[msm0202]

I was 10 years old (and less than a week from my 11th birthday) when the fire happened. I sure remember it as a crushing blow. As I've grown up, I've come to realize just how important those guys were to the space program. Obviously Grissom and White had already made a huge impact, but Chaffee, too, was considered to be a rising star. As many of you know, he was the guy who took those U2 high altitude photos of Soviet missiles in Cuba that led to the Cuban missile crisis. The Apollo 1 deaths were a huge loss for our country and for all of us who love the space program.

I've had the opportunity in the past few days to interview astronaut Walt Cunningham, who served on the Apollo 1 backup crew, and flew the next mission (Apollo 7) with Wally Schirra and Donn Eisele. We are running the interview in LAUNCH in the next issue. Although the fire remains a shock to him, Walt says that the astronauts all knew the risks and accepted them, although no one ever imagined it would happen in a ground test. But because of the risks they faced from their fighter pilot (and for some, test pilot) days and on into the space program, Walt says it was probably easier for him and the other astronauts to accept the deaths than it was for the general public. These guys were all heroic.

Mark