Space Tragedies: Apollo/Saturn 204 1/23/11

Apollo/Saturn 204 From John Millis, your Guide to Space / Astronomy I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. Sea Fever John Masefield (1878-1967) Apollo/Saturn 204 was the first tragedy of the space age involving a spacecraft. Three people lost their lives. An Early Blow To The Space Program Apollo 1 Fire  It was January 27, 1967 and the crew of Apollo/Saturn 204 (more commonly known as Apollo 1 mission) were training for the first crewed Apollo flight, an Earth orbiting mission scheduled to be launched on 21 February. Learn what happened. Apollo 1 Losses Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom  Born April 3, 1926, in Mitchell., Indiana, Grissom was one of the seven Mercury astronauts selected by NASA in April 1959. Edward Higgins White II  Born November 14, 1930, San Antonio, Texas, he was pilot of Gemini 4 (first American to perform extravehicular activity), backup command pilot for Gemini 7, and had been selected to be command module pilot for the first manned Apollo flight. Roger B. Chaffee  Born on February 15, 1935, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963. Nonspace Related Deaths Theodore C. Freeman  Born February 18, 1930, in Haverford, Pennsylvania, was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963. Charles A. Bassett, II  Born in Dayton, Ohio, on December 30, 1931, was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963.

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