Disasters

Apollo 1

NASA had thirteen successful Saturn rockets, which were unmanned. They felt it was time to try a mission with humans in the ship. The mission was scheduled for February 21, 1967 with a crew of Virgil Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee. During the test runs Grissom reported a sour smell in the ship but nothing appeared to be wrong once the technicians checked it out. A fire broke out in the ship started by a spark and quickly spread because of the pure oxygen surroundings. The astronauts tried to open the door but air pressure made the task impossible. All three men were killed and rescuers were treated for smoke inhalation.

	The Apollo 1 pod. It was from this pod that the three astronauts were unable to escape.
	A picture of the three astronauts inside of the pod.
	A picture of the Apollo 1 patch, worn by the astronauts on the mission. It has been dubbed "the patch that never flew."
	A group portrait of the three astronauts in their space suits.