Photos of the Apollo 1 Fire: NASA's First Disaster

Module Moved

Apollo Spacecraft 12 Command/Service Module is moved from H-134 to east stokes for mating to the Saturn Lunar Module Adapter No. 05 in the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building. Spacecraft 12 was to have flown on the Apollo/Saturn 204 mission (later known as Apollo 1).

The Apollo 1 Command Module

High angle view of Apollo Spacecraft 012 Command Module looking toward +Z axis during pre-shipping operations in south air lock of Systems Integration and Checkout Facility.

Practice in the Simulator

Astronauts for the first Apollo Mission (L-R) Roger B. Chaffee, Edward H. White and Virgil I. Grissom practice for the mission in the Apollo Mission Simulator.

Apollo 1 Capsule Hoisted to Rocket

The Apollo 1 space vehicle (initally referred to as Spacecraft 12) is hoisted to the top of the gantry at Pad 34 during the Apollo/Saturn Mission 204 (later known as the Apollo 1 flight) erection

The Interior of the Capsule After the Tragic Fire

The interior of the Command Module shows the effects of the intense heat of the flash fire which killed the prime crew during a routine training exercise. A faulty electrical switch ignited the pure oxygen environment. The speed and intensity of the fire rapidly used up the oxygen supply inside the crew cabin. Prevented by exiting by the awkward design of the hatch, the lack of breathable oxygen caused the crew to lose consciousness and perish.

Aftermath

Exterior of Apollo/Saturn 204 spacecraft at White Room of Complex 34, Cape Kennedy, Fla.

Funeral of Virgil I. Grissom

The flag draped coffin of Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom is escorted at Arlington Cemetery, Va., by his fellow astronauts, following the Apollo 1 fire that claimed his life.

Senate Hearing Regarding Apollo 1

NASA administrators sit at the witness table before the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Services, chaired by Senator Clinton P. Anderson, on the Apollo 1 (Apollo 204) accident. The individuals are (L to R) Dr. Robert C. Seamans, NASA Deputy Administrator; James E. Webb, NASA Administrator; Dr. George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, and Maj. Gen. Samuel C. Phillips, Apollo Program Director.

Remembering the Apollo 1 Crew

The prime crew members of NASA's first manned Apollo Space Flight are pictured during training in Florida on March 21, 1966. From left to right are astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee.