The Apollo 1 Astronauts
On January 27, 2017, we mark 50 years since we lost the Apollo 1 astronauts. The three men who died on the launchpad in the Apollo fire were: Commander Gus Grissom, Pilot Ed White, and Pilot Roger Chaffee. Gus was an Air Force test pilot and mechanical engineer who had flown 100 combat missions in the Korean War. Ed White, also an Air Force test pilot and aeronautical engineer, was the first American to “walk in space”. Roger Chaffee, an aeronautical engineer and the rookie astronaut on the crew, had previously flown photo reconnaissance missions as a naval aviator.
All three had been Boy Scouts. All three were married with children. They were born in Indiana, Texas, and Michigan, respectively. All made family sacrifices to carry out their official duties to their country. They were “All-American boys”. And they were my inspiration to become an astronaut.
To read about the history of the accident, see NASA’s website at:
https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_01a_Summary.htm
Apollo 1’s Pad 34 still stands at Cape Canaveral today, but is in ruins. There, the Air Force carries out a solemn ceremony every Jan 27, at 6:31 pm, the same time of the accident. A plaque on the dismantled launch pad says:
“They gave their lives in service to their country in the ongoing exploration of humankind's final frontier. Remember them not for how they died but for those ideals for which they lived. “
As a coincidence, the “Outer Space Treaty” was opened for signature on the same day: January 27, 1967. Today, 105 countries are parties to the treaty, which sets the basic legal framework for the peaceful use of outer space.
Note: On January 28, we also remember the Challenger astronauts who perished on launch in 1986. On February 1, we remember the Columbia astronauts who lost their lives while returning from space in 2003. These astronauts who gave their lives in the pursuit of space exploration have inspired so many of us because of their courage, sacrifice, and passion for exploration. The Astronauts Memorial Foundation honors these brave men and women, while educating the next generation of explorers.
National Labor Inspectorate - Italy
7 年Thank you Eileen for your article. You remind the sacrifice of these lost heroes, they stand as constant reminders of so many values. Their message spreads horizontally across all activities where humans interact with technology. Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia share many factors in common: they bring to light how unwanted events result from the combination of organisational, technical and human failures. Learning from these accidents is a moral, ethical obligation: safe and sustainable systems must grow, learn and adapt to the increasing insights into technology as well as to the changing world in which it evolves. Speaking from my (limited) perspective, your remarkable contribution, Eileen, makes me think that the lessons learned from these tragedies should be taught in universities for shaping the new generation of engineers, managers, regulators and entrepreneurs to the better.
Fund Development Chair, Board of Directors at Jose M. Hernandez Reaching for the Stars Foundation
7 年Beautiful rememberance!
Senior Project Engineer, NASA Johnson Space Center
7 年Beautifully stated Eileen: May God bless our brothers and sisters, and our craft.
Senior Tech Lead Architect | Enterprise Architect @ AVER, LLC
7 年God Bless Our Fearless Dreamers and Heroes