Apollo 1 Fire - 45th Anniversary: Jan. 27

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Apollo 1: The Fire That Shocked NASA

By Amy Shira Teitel | January 27, 2012 |  4

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The Apollo 1 Command Module after the fire that claimed the lives of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. Credit: NASA.

NASA’s Apollo program began with one of the worst disasters the organization has ever faced. A routine prelaunch test turned fatal when a fire ripped through the spacecraft’s crew cabin killing all three astronauts. Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, a tragic and preventable accident. There were warning signs, similar accidents that had claimed lives both in the United States and abroad. The Apollo 1 crew could have been saved from a gruesome death.

MORE: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/01/27/apollo-1-the-fire-that-shocked-nasa/

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