Hundreds honour 3 astronauts lost in Apollo fire 50 years ago
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Moonwalkers and dozens of others who took part in NASA’s storied Apollo program paid tribute Thursday to the three astronauts killed in a fire 50 years ago.
On the eve of the Apollo 1 anniversary, hundreds gathered at Kennedy Space Center to honour Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. They died during a countdown rehearsal at the launch pad, inside their burning spacecraft, on Jan. 27, 1967
On Friday, NASA is opening an Apollo 1 exhibit featuring the hatch that prevented the three astronauts from escaping. It has been concealed for the past half-century along with the capsule. The families of Grissom, White and Chaffee got an early look Wednesday evening at the display at the visitor complex, and liked what they saw.
“Really awesome,” said daughter Sheryl Chaffee, who just retired from NASA. “It’s very fitting. We all feel like it’s about time.”