Image Credit: NASA – On Jan. 27, 1967, veteran astronaut Gus Grissom, first American spacewalker Ed White and rookie Roger Chaffee (left-to-right) were preparing for what was to be the first manned Apollo flight.
When we think about the song “Fly Me to the Moon” we are reminded of that popular hit tune recorded in 1964 by the legendary Frank Sinatra. Although this was originally titled ‘In Other Words” written by Bart Howard in 1954, the song was closely associated with the Apollo missions to the moon.
Many people never knew or heard of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. There is something very remarkable and spectacular about these men that shows their valor, and courage, that ended in tragedy. On Jan. 27, 1967, (according to NASA) as the first Apollo crew – Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee – were conducting a simulation on the launch pad in Florida, a flash fire broke out in their capsule. In the 100 percent oxygen atmosphere NASA was then using, the fire spread quickly and killed all three. The disaster caused NASA to re-examine all aspects of the program and rework many of the spacecraft’s systems. That spring, the mission for which the crew had been training was officially named Apollo 1.
Image Source: kennedyspacecenter.com
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is continuing the Apollo Program’s 50th-anniversary celebrations on July 16, the anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. Each Apollo mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, and the visitor complex is honoring this milestone era in NASA’s history.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong climbed out of the Apollo 11 lunar module and paused on its ladder. On Earth, a worldwide television audience of nearly a billion people heard his crackling transmission: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Image Source: AP – Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, the first men to land on the moon, plant the U.S. flag on the lunar surface, July 20, 1969
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