Today is the 42nd anniversary of the launch pad fire at Kennedy Space Center, which claimed the lives of astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee. On January 27, 1967, a flash fire broke out inside the capsule of Apollo 1 and the three astronauts were unable to open the door and the three astronauts were killed. For those who would like the complete history of the tragedy, you can read the Senate report here. An investigation of the accident resulted in several modifications to the space capsule to ensure that the tragedy would never be repeated. The final report submitted to NASA can be read here.
When I first started this blog, I came up with the moniker, "Brave Astronaut." I alluded to how I came up with the name by mentioning it had to do with my secondary school career. The junior high school that I went to was Harry B. Thompson Junior High and our athletic team was known as the Astronauts. The school has three wings off the back of the school, one for each grade attending the school. When I arrived there in the fall of 1978, the halls were known by those grade (7th grade hall, 8th grade hall, and 9th grade hall). However at the head of each hall there was a plaque denoting that each wing had also been named for one of those three "Brave Astronauts."
The name of the school store (where I also worked), where you could get school supplies and occasionally snacks and candy was also known as the Astronaut Shop. Today, the school is now a middle school, and the 6th grade classes are divided up into "Rockets," "Meteorites," and "Stars." But I hope that somebody is remembering the Astronauts, especially Grissom, Chaffee, and White today.
3 comments:
Ironically, I was just thinking about that disaster the other day. The date must have been in my subconscious somewhere (I used to write a quarterly astronomy column, so I used to track such things.)
Have you ever seen the astronaut memorial at Kennedy Space Center? If not, I can't recommend any trip more highly. (Not just for the memorial, the very thought of which still brings tears to my eyes,) but for everything there is to see & do there. When they're old enough, you MUST take the boys!
Every time I visit my bro in Orlando, that's the only thing I want to do--a day at KSC. Always worth the trip!
Your post took me back. I remember "The Avengers" was interrupted by the news report of the tragedy. And then I ended up going to Ed White Elementary School in Houston the next year.
Lana - that would certainly be part of any planned trip to FLA.
Doris - thanks for stopping by!
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