"We have a fire in the cockpit!" -- Apollo I + 50 years

50 Years Later, NASA Creates Tribute To 3 Astronauts Who Died In Space Race

Quote:

Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire that killed three astronauts during a routine test on the launchpad. The accident shocked NASA as the agency was rushing to meet President Kennedy's 1961 challenge to have men on the moon by the end of the decade. The test was a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 1 crew — Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. The ultimate goal was to check out the command module, NASA's first three-man spacecraft that would take astronauts to the moon. The crew was rehearsing the real launch, which was about a month away. They were suited up and in the capsule running through checklists and testing equipment. But something sparked in the oxygen-rich environment. Within seconds, the capsule filled with flames, smoke and toxic gases.

Starting today and for the first time, KSC will place the hatch from Apollo I on public display.

via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/2kspOnU