Today in NASA History, January 20, 1967-1986: In their respective years, the flight crews of both Apollo 1 and Space Shuttle Challenger, Mission STS-51L, arrive at Kennedy Space Center following extensive training and mission preparation at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The Apollo 1 crew will begin a series of tests which will lead to a January 27, 1967, plugs-out test to determine whether the spacecraft would operate nominally on internal power while detached from all cables and umbilicals. The Space Shuttle Challenger, Mission STS-51L, crew will begin final preparations for its launch on January 28, 1986. On January 27, 1967, the three member crew of Apollo 1, commanded by original Mercury Astronaut, Virgil I. Gus Grissom, enters the command module, seals the hatch and begins the test. As the test progresses a voltage surge is recorded in the control center and as the problem is being addressed Astronaut Roger B. Chaffee, the Pilot, is heard on communications to yell, Hey! For a few seconds scuffling sounds were heard followed by Astronaut Edward H. White, Senior Pilot, yelling, Ive got a fire in the cockpit! Within a split second another voice which could not be identified yelled, Theres a bad fire! Other yelling was heard as the fire progressed and the incident inside the spacecraft was being seen on TV monitors in the control room. Little was heard from Grissom as he was immediately seen on video attempting to open the hatch as the crewmember closest to it. Although further transcript and video of the incident inside of the spacecraft is available, it will not be told or shown here as it is very sad and horrible. Seventeen seconds after the fire began inside the spacecraft the video and audio transmissions then ended abruptly. Flames and gases then rushed outside the Command Module through open access panels caused by internal pressure to two levels of the pad service structure. Intense heat, dense smoke, and ineffective gas masks designed for toxic fumes rather than heavy smoke hampered the ground crews attempts to rescue the men. The crew of Apollo 1 was lost and the program delayed. A review board determined that the electrical power momentarily failed and found evidence of several electric arcs in the interior equipment. This, along with the capsule being filled with pure oxygen caused the fire. Evacuation and rescue failed due to the design of the hatch. The entire Apollo Command Module was redesigned before the program would continue. On January 28, 1986, the seven member crew of Space Shuttle Challenger, Mission STS-51L, boarded their spacecraft and prepared for launch after several delays. They also experienced a short delay on this day due to cold temperatures but NASA managers chose to launch after conferring with all of the involved contractors. Space Shuttle Challenger, Mission STS-51L, launched at 11:38 am EST and to the naked eye all seemed normal until the spacecraft exploded 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members, including Americas first Teacher in Space, Christa McAuliffe. Disintegration of the vehicle began after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. The O-ring failure caused a breach in the SRB joint it sealed, allowing pressurized burning gas from within the solid rocket booster to reach the outside and breach the adjacent SRB aft field joint attachment hardware and external fuel tank. This led to the separation of the right-hand SRBs aft field joint attachment and the structural failure of the external tank causing the explosion. Aerodynamic forces broke up the orbiter. Although none of the events leading to the disaster was seen as we all watched, we have all seen the replays and witnessed all of these series of events over the years sadly realizing that the crew never had a chance. The disaster resulted in a 32-month stand-down in the shuttle program and the formation of the Rogers Commission, a special commission appointed by United States President Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident. The commission found many problems in the program and NASA was required to completely revamp its entire system. (1) The crew of Apollo 1 shortly after arriving at Kennedy Space Center on January 20, 1967. Left to right, Virgil I. Gus Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee. (2) The crew of Space Shuttle Challenger, Mission STS-51L. Front row, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee and Ronald McNair. Back row, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis and Judith Resnik. Photos courtesy of NASA.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 23:07:49 +0000
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