January 27, 1967 - in Memoriam

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

Apollo 1

"Tragedy struck on the launch pad during a preflight test for Apollo 204, scheduled to be the first Apollo manned mission. It was supposed to have been launched on February 21, 1967, but Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee lost their lives when a fire swept through the Command Module (CM) during a test run at 1:00 p.m., Friday, January 27, 1967."

<http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/Group3/apollo1.htm>

40 years ago today these three men gave the last measure of devotion to the exploration of Space. I was 12 years old, and a dedicated fan of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects, Apollo was one of the great legacies of President Kennedy, and the program did, finally reach the goal he set - to land on the Moon and return hope.

May the gods smile on these brave souls, and those of the Challenger and Columbia crews, as well.

[Faygo Kid]

1. Thanks for the reminder. I remember it well.

I was 15 at the time. The nation was stunned. With this administration, space militarization, not exploration, seems to be first priority.

[Rowdyboy]

2. It happened on my 13th birthday. Gus Grissom was my hero.....

Looking back, it was the first real tragedy I really experienced and it hit me hard. I had written Grissom a personal letter and received a huge, autographed color photograph which was one of my treasures. Later I took it to school and passed it around the class. When it was returned to me, the signature had been smudged and was illegible. Shortly after, he was killed in the fire.

Forty years has passed in such a flash and I'm a man now. Yet, with boyish affections, I still mourn the death of these three brave men.

Thanks for sharing your memories.