Apollo 1
- NASA Human Spaceflight
Apollo 1 was the first crewed mission of the United States Apollo program, which aimed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth. The mission's primary goal was to test the Command and Service Module (CSM) in low Earth orbit. It was intended to be the first crewed test flight of the Apollo spacecraft. During a pre-launch test on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy Air Force Station Launch Complex 34, a cabin fire broke out. The fire resulted in the deaths of all three astronauts. The high-pressure pure oxygen environment, flammable materials, and an electrical fault were key factors contributing to the rapid spread of the fire. The names of Grissom, White, and Chaffee are honored and remembered for their contributions and sacrifice in the pursuit of space exploration.