Rare footage shows astronauts preparing for launch before they perished in Apollo 1 disaster
Rare and devastating footage of astronauts preparing for launch on the disastrous first crewed mission of the Apollo 1 program has resurfaced.
History was meant to be made on 21 February, 1967, when the first low Earth orbital test using the Apollo 1 space vehicle was set to launch from NASA's home in Cape Kennedy, Florida.
But those familiar with history will know the mission never took off after a devastating cabin fire occurred on 27 January during a pre-flight test ahead of the main event.
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Three crew members were in the capsule at the time of the devastating fire, which saw all of them tragically lose their lives.
The crew of Apollo 1
Command Pilot Virgil 'Gus' Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward White, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee were inside Apollo 1 during the test.
The 'plugs-out' test mimicked what would happen when the flight was launched, something that's not particularly out of the ordinary.
Well, footage of the three astronauts preparing for the test has recently resurfaced thanks to a post on X.
The footage sees Grissom, White and Chaffee gearing up for the mission with a sense of nervousness but also excitement.
Voiceover footage revealed the trio had spent hours in a simulator, so the time had come for them to actually go in Apollo 1.
The short video concluded with the astronauts going into the Apollo 1 capsule for the mission.
However, the team of astronauts encountered problems almost as soon as they stepped into the capsule.
Hearing their final moments
Last year, audio recordings from the moment a fire started in the Apollo 1 was released.
In a clip posted once more to X, one of the astronauts could be heard saying: "Hey! There's a fire in the cockpit."
"We have a bad fire," another voice can be heard saying a few seconds later.
The terrified astronauts could be heard shouting, before the audio eventually cuts out, capturing their tragic final moments.
The NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive reported that the last crew communication with those on the outside ended '17 seconds after the first indication of the start of the fire'.
How did the tragedy unfold?
As a result of the cabin being filled with pure oxygen, the fire spread quickly through the capsule and the hatch.
And after the fire blazed through the command module, leaving the three astronauts unable to escape, they tragically lost their lives.
The hatch eventually opened five minutes after the fire started, but it proved too late for the astronauts.
Subsequent investigations revealed the fire was most likely caused by 'a spark from a short circuit in a bundle of wires'.
Callum Jones