Apollo 1

Mission Number: AS-204

27 January 1967

Crew:
    Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom
    Edward H. White, II
    Roger Chaffee

Original Backup Crew:
    James A. McDivitt
    David R. Scott
    Russell L. Schweickart

Final Backup Crew:
    Walter M. Schirra, Jr.
    Donn F. Eisele
    R. Walter Cunningham

Tragedy struck on launch pad 34 during a preflight rehearsal for Apollo 204, which was to have been the first manned Apollo mission, and would have been launched 21 February 1967 by a Saturn 1B. All three astronauts lost their lives when fire swept through the Command Module.

Because of the fire, extensive reworking of the Command Module design delayed a manned Apollo launch for over a year and a half.

The Apollo 1 designation was given to the mission only after the fire. The AS-204 designation was later re-assigned to an unmanned test flight.

The Apollo 1 capsule is located at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. It is not on display.

In memory of Apollo 1.
Credit - NASA (click to enlarge)
(l to r) Edward White II, Virgil (Gus) Grissom, Roger Chaffee
(click photos to enlarge)
Credit - NASA	Credit - NASA
Interior of the Apollo Spacecraft after the fire.	Exterior of the Apollo Spacecraft after the fire.

A memorial page.

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Archived NASA page for Apollo 1

 

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Page last modified: 08 April 2024 09:06:47.