X-Nico

9 unusual facts about Apollo 1


305th Air Mobility Wing

Having later commanded the Gemini 3 mission in 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Grissom was assigned as commander for the first manned Apollo mission, but was killed with the rest of his crew during a fire in his Apollo 1 capsule during a pre-launch rehearsal on Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy, Florida in January 1967.

AS-204

Apollo 1, scheduled to be the first manned Apollo flight, but the crew was killed on the launch pad

Astronaut Badge

It was made at the request of the crew of the first manned mission of the Apollo program as a tribute to Slayton's work at NASA.

Beta cloth

It was implemented in NASA space suits after the deadly 1967 Apollo 1 launch pad fire, in which the astronauts' nylon suits burned through.

Ebullism

However other risks associated with using pure O2 as a breathing gas caused its abrupt termination by NASA after the death of three astronauts in a fire resulting from its use on Apollo 1.

Edward Givens

After completing basic astronaut training, he was assigned to the Apollo program and briefly served on the support crew for the first manned post-Apollo 1 fire mission, eventually to fly as Apollo 7.

The Reluctant Astronaut

According to Knotts' 1998 autobiography, the infamous Apollo 1 fire occurred and killed three astronauts shortly after the film's scenes at Kennedy Space Center were shot.

Thomas Baron

After the Apollo 1 fire Baron wrote a 500-page report on NASA safety protocol violations, which he gave to Rep. Olin E. Teague's investigation at Cape Kennedy, Florida on April 21, 1967.

Valentin Bondarenko

Bondarenko's death was caused by fire in a sealed, high-oxygen environment, which also befell the crew of Apollo 1.


Mitchell, Indiana

He died in a launch pad fire at Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a training exercise for Apollo 1 on January 27, 1967.


see also

AS-204

Apollo 5, the first test of the Apollo Lunar Module, which used the AS-204 rocket that was originally intended for Apollo 1