Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Apollo 1 (AS-204) Fire Collection
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NASM.2017.0029
- Creators:
-
Needell, Allan A.
- Dates:
-
bulk 1960-2002
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
1 Cubic foot1 box
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of a cubic feet of copies of material gathered by Allan Needell on the Apollo 1 fire. Material was gathered from magazines, reports, memorandums, letters, and the Congressional Record. There is also a folder of photographs taken on October 26, 1998, of the opening and inspection of the Apollo 204 Capsule container at the NASA Langley Research Center.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
On January 27, 1967, a fire broke out at 18:31 EST, in the cockpit of Apollo Command Module 012 while the "Block I" (Earth orbit capable) spacecraft sat atop an unfueled Saturn 1B rocket on launch pad 34 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The system was undergoing a manned test in preparation for the scheduled Apollo 204 mission (now universally referred to as Apollo 1), the first scheduled manned orbital test of an Apollo Block I spacecraft. The three astronauts aboard, Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee, were killed by asphyxiation. In addition to the heartrending loss of life, the tragedy threatened to derail the United States' ambitious program to meet President John F. Kennedy's challenge to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade.
Administration
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Allan Needell / Space History, Transfer, 2017
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Preferred Citation
Apollo 1 (AS-204) Fire Collection, Accession 2017-0029 , National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Manned space flight | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Apollo Project | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Astronautics | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Apollo 1 Mission | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Photographs | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Publications | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
White, Edward Higgins, 1930-1967 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Grissom, Virgil I. | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Chaffee, Roger B. (Commander) | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
National Air and Space Museum Archives
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
NASMRefDesk@si.edu