Although it was never determined conclusively just what the ignition source was, the use of a pure oxygen environment greatly exacerbated the problem.
The tragedy resulted in national agony and soul-searching, and NASA's redesigning the capsule from scratch in a very short period of time.
After redesign, the first successful manned Apollo mission was flown by the original Apollo 1 backup crew, Wally Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, Walter Cunningham, on Apollo 7 barely 1 1/2 years later, in October, 1968.
This was to have been USAF Lt Col Gus Grissom's 3rd flight into space, having been the 2nd American into space during Project Mercury, and Command Pilot on Gemini 3.
USAF Lt Col Ed White had flown as Pilot of Gemini 4, and was the first American to perform an EVA, or 'spacewalk'.
This was to have been USN Lt Cmdr Roger Chaffee's first flight into space. Chaffee had actually been on the backup crew, and swapped places with Eisele after the latter had been injured in KC-135 weightlessness exercises.
Military test pilots all, these men were über-smart guys with Mechanical or Aeronautical Engineering degrees from some of the best programs in the country.
They were among the best and the brightest from NASA astronaut selection Groups 1 (Mercury), Group 2 (Gemini), and Group 3 (Apollo), respectively.
Apollo 1's mission was 'only' to test launch operations, ground tracking and control facilities and the performance of the Apollo-Saturn launch assembly. No getting fancy with the LM which hadn't been finished yet, and in any case, the Block I CM couldn't dock with the LM, having been designed before the lunar orbit rendezvous landing strategy was chosen.
Given the crew's bona fides and selection for the first manned Apollo flight, it's safe to say that the list of men who ultimately set foot on the moon would have been somewhat different had they survived.
If you're not old enough to remember Apollo I, it's difficult to imagine the effect their deaths had on the nation's psyche.
We paid the ultimate tribute to their service and deaths by landing men on the Moon just 2 1/2 years later.
Stupid engineering - the hatch opened inward, no explosive bolts. When the fire started pressure built up against the hatch, could not open it ...
How sad....
It always annoyed me that Gus Grissom was portrayed as a screw up in “The Right Stuff.”
I remember that flight: the "Revolt Of The Astronauts".
Mission Control had them jumping through so many hoops and monkey-tasks that the crew totally shut down and refused to follow anything not on the flight plan.
All three were banished from flight status and never flew in space again.
KGB payback for the suspected CIA role in the Nedelin incident.....at least that’s the tin foil gang supposition.
Col. Grissom is missed.
I was the little kid who they used to bring with them when they went fishing.
Good gosh. I remember that so well. I recall watching the television for what seemed like hours, with the video of the rocket on the gantry with the spotlights on it.
I agree with the sentiments about Grissom.
I thought the post-mortem found that the fire started when a wiring cluster under Grissom’s couch chafed from rubbing against the frame, and that when the circuit was activated, it sparked.
Maybe I’m imagining that.
I was 7. Have some vague recollection of this happening.
Remember this well. I couldn’t believe the USA had lost astronauts. It was beyond my understanding that the USA might’ve made any mistakes that caused their deaths.....we were the best.....true, blue patriot from the start.
RIP.
It was very distressing.