On January 27, 1967, Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee were killed during a regular preflight practice session at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo 1 fire was the very first major lethal disaster in the history of the U.S. area program. Apollo 1 was expected to be the very first flight that NASA would conduct to prepare for a crewed landing on the moon. Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, as seen at Cape Canaverals Complex 34 in January 1967. (Image credit: NASA) Less than a month prior to their planned launch date, a fire emerged inside the Apollo command module with all three astronauts trapped within. Heat caused the air pressure inside the spacecraft to increase, making it impossible for the astronauts to open the hatch, which was designed to open inward. NASA did discover from the tragedy, and they revamped their spacecraft to be much more secure going forward.Catch up on our whole “On This Day In Space” series on YouTube with this playlist. On This Day in Space Archive! Still inadequate area? Dont forget to check out our Space Image of the Day, and on the weekends our Best Space Photos and Top Space News Stories of the week. Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook..
