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The president delivers the eulogy. Mr. Grissom was 40. February 15, 2015, 12:00 pm A flag-draped coffin of an Apollo 1 astronaut is transported after the fatal fire which occurred on Jan. 27, 1967. A NASA official. Martha Chaffee was born on March 28, 1939 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. ", (Courtesy of the Grand Rapids Public Museum). This 1967 file photo shows the charred interior of the Apollo I spacecraft after a fire which killed astronauts Ed White, Roger Chaffee, and Virgil Grissom on Jan. 27, 1967. I have been there many times, and often have seen boisterous young people become quiet and still in front of the crew compartment, perhaps imagining what it must have been like . May 13, 2018, 7:25 pm, by A sympathetic physician told him to come back the next morning for another try. As an adult, Chaffee eventually went to work for NASA herself, starting in a temp position and recently retiring after more than 30 years. This is what the children of Apollo 1 remember: Gus Grissom was gone frequently, said his son Mark, but when he did get to come home, they'd catch a game or go hunting. A launch pad fire during Apollo program tests at Cape Canaveral, Florida, kills astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee. Roger Chaffee took his job seriously, his daughter Sheryl said, but liked to have a good time, too. Before dropping off to sleep, he offered numerous prayers for successful test results. This is a reminder that you have to be on your toes, and make sure that happens.. Roger B. Chaffee with his parents, Donald and Blanche Chaffee, in front of an Air Force jet. He helps out with his wife's work and spends time with his children, step-children and grandchildren. After the Apollo 1 fire, NASA set up a completely separate safety organization that was parallel alongside, so they weren't reporting to the same bosses., The fire made NASA personnel more aware and focused on quality control, said Charlie Duke, another astronaut. At the time of his selection, he was a Lieutenant in the Navy and had logged over 2,300 flying hours, more than 2,000 of which were in jets. In 1972, Krist won a landmark case and a financial settlement for Betty Grissom, widow of Gus Grissom, just as the cases statute of limitations was expiring in Florida. Definitely not retired, he continues to manage property. She joined old friends, family members, and NASA officials and veterans, among them Charlie Duke, who took part in the Apollo 16 moon landing. Here's more information on Chaffee's life and West Michigan legacy: How Michigan astronaut Roger Chaffee's death 50 years ago delayed our quest to put man on the moon, Roger Chaffee's legacy remains treasured in his hometown. While today is the second anniversaray of the space shuttle Challenger disaster, Wednesday marked the 21st anniversary of the 1967 Apollo 1 capsule fire in which three astronauts died. Virgil I (Gus) Grissom, Edward H. White, II, and Roger B. Chaffee. "He was the usher," Pauline Canfield said. "'I see what's here, I hear what you're saying, but tell me more. People just couldnt believe that I could really talk.. He's always interesting and interested.". Ms. Grissom, who lives in Houston by herself, and Mr. Grissom were high school sweethearts in Mitchell, Ind. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Unfortunately, his impact was most felt through his untimely death. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The cascading waterfall was complimented by the lighting Roger had installed around their pool. Roger B. Chaffee takes a break prior to an altitude chamber test at KSC on October 18, 1966. NASA investigators could not identify what caused the spark, but wrote the catastrophe off as an accident. The men died in a fire in the command module during a rehearsal on Jan. 27, 1967. HOUSTON (AP) _ A lawyer who represented the widows of astronauts killed in space tragedies says that as the memory of such disasters fade, the women are forgotten. It was not like earlier rocket launches where Americans huddled around their television screens and counted down with mission control. She was previously married to William Chase Canfield and Roger B. Chaffee. Paul Scott Anderson Roger's mother, Blanche, covers her face while his father, Don, and President Lyndon B. Johnson bow their heads in grief. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Chaffee subsequently achieved the highest attainable rank of Eagle Scout and taught inexperienced scouts how to swim. He brought a big bottle of sake to share with the family and friends. Flight Surgeon Fred Kelly, who was a neighbor of the Chaffees in Clear Lake in the mid-1960s, described a distinct change in the young rookies mannerisms. You gonna barf on the way to the Moon, too, Geno? he asked, all while demonstrating the iron-clad nature of his own stomach by chomping a banana-sized jalapeno pepper in two bites. He said only of that time that it was difficult, but made easier with the. His father had been a barnstorming pilot, who flew a Waco 10 biplane and served as chief inspector of army ordnance at the Doehler-Jarvis plant in Grand Rapids during World War II, and it was he who took the young Roger flying over Lake Michigan in 1942. It took personnel about five minutes to open all the hatches into the capsule. On Jan. 27, 1967, astronauts Virgil I. We moved in within ten days of each other, wrote Cernan in his memoir, The Last Man on the Moon. The Associated Press, describing the deaths in a recent report, wrote: It was over for them in seconds.. Neil Armstrong's wife, who lived next door to the White family, was standing in the driveway. He was assigned to follow the spacecraft's communications systems. Koppel. (Video: MSNBC), ABC's Jules Bergman reports about the deadly fire that claimed the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967. He loved his Corvette. There's no other way to explain it. He photographed the launch facilities at Cape Canaveralthe very place where his life would close, a few years henceand participated in U.S. reconnaissance flights during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. {left, below}. With astronaut training as the ultimate career goal, Chaffee joined a pool of 1,800 applicants for the second NASA intake in September 1962. Roger had the first swimming pool on the block and I built a walk-in bar in my family room, so we became a gathering place for many parties.. Additionally, he wired their stereo system so that music could be heard in any room of the house., Chaffee and Gene Cernan were both lieutenants, earning no more $10,000 per annum, but the lucrative astronaut contracts with Life magazine allowed them to buy lots on Barbuda Lane, where they built their houses, side by side, and separated by a thin wooden fence. Here she is as a sophomore, from the 1953 yearbook (", Martha, a stand-out beauty at just 15, was a "Classettes" cheerleader at Classen High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1953. I am now building a short wave radio and helping a friend with one.At school I am best in arithmetic, for I like to work with figures.I'm in the scouts and am a member of Troop 15. We fixed them. His story is a fascinating epic of a rising star, cut down in his prime, and the nature and timing of his death is a mournful reflection upon a career tragically shortened and a life losttoo soon. As computer technology marches on and makes digital resurrection possible, let us firmly resolve that the book of this fine mans life not remain forever closed, that he will soon be Back in the World Again, as the David Gray song so ably says, and that it is only a matter of time before he will finally get his spaceflight. It was during that time that he played for the York White Roses of Pennsylvania, a semi-professional football team, earning $100 a game. Chaffee died in a fire during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission in 1967. Later, when I returned from the Cape, recalled Kelly, I was able to tell her that Rogers face was untouched by the fire.. who died in 1986 and 2003, respectively. Though it's been 60 years since those heady times in football, Bill Canfield still has the stature of an athlete he is tall and fit-looking though these days his sports of choice are golf and tennis. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Betty never doubted that she was doing the right thing. After almost 2.5 years of training, in March 1966, Chaffee was named as Pilot of the inaugural manned shakedown flight of the Apollo spacecraft, teamed with Commander Virgil Gus Grissom and Senior Pilot Ed White. A Washington Post story from Jan. 30, 1967, carried the observations from awriter who was allowed to look at the craft. The sealed cabin had been pressurized with pure oxygen, which fuels fire. The Grand Rapids native was 31 years old. With the recent deaths of the astronauts John Glenn and Eugene A. Cernan and the sea changes in Washington, the gathering felt like a memorial for an era as well as for three men. You have to present your identification at a 7-Eleven to cash a $5 check. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Back in his days as a test pilot at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Gus Grissom had a message for his wife, Betty. At every turn in his career, Michigan proved to be a touchstone for the young astronaut. Her life always revolved around him. Ben Evans Anyone can read what you share. "Roger was one of the smartest boys I've ever run into," Grissom told The New York Times. "I always wanted to coach, and I loved the sport," he said. Although the overall death toll stood at three, no lives had been lost in accidents directly related . Roger died in the Apollo 1 fire along with Gus Grissom and Ed White on . He became a Boy Scout in 1948 and earned 10badges within the year, gaining the accolade of Order of the Arrow. Who Is Roger B. Chaffee's Wife? Martha Chaffee was born on 28 March 1939 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. This years event drew around 150 people, one of the largest crowds ever for a memorial that few people knew of unless they were related to an astronaut or were a die-hard space fan. February 20, 2017, 1:22 pm, by Martha's parents recognized the unique gifts of their beautiful I also very much admire a good sport.I chose electronics as I have said before, because I have always liked to play with motors. Tears are cheap, and memories fade, and you better look out for yourself. And for now everything seems to be going right, he said. We didn't go into our house because they were talking to my mom about what had happened, and they weren't ready to tell us, but we knew something was wrong, he said. Fearless, I would say.. Roger Chaffee Chaffee, 31, was the baby of the crew, a never-flown-in-space rookie. Are ticket costs pricing Houston Astros fans out of Opening Day? But the flames aboard the space capsule cut his promising life short. The disaster left families in mourning and a nation stunned. The Apollo 1 crew, from left to right, Roger Chaffee, Ed White and Gus Grissom. Wreathes were laid in memory of the men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration. Most Read . Mr. Grissom was initially blamed, and the sunken capsule cost the astronaut couple a visit to the Kennedy White House. He attended Safety and Reliability School in California, which provided him with the necessary training to serve as a safety and quality control officer at the Heavy Photographic Squadron 62 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Fla. On Jan. 27, 1967, astronauts Virgil I. (NASA.gov) As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 2 at North American's mock-up display area at the Downey facility. People from all over the world traveled to the memorial, among them Masato Maruyama, 65, who has come for the past 10 years from Tokyo. December 21, 2016, 10:30 pm, by [13] The couple had two children, Sheryl Lyn (born in 1958) and Stephen (born in 1961). In 1945, William "Bill" Canfield had a standout year in football. Apollo counted a lot not just for Americans, but human beings.. He infamously screwed the pooch as Tom Wolfe put it in The Right Stuff when the hatch blew on his Mercury capsule, causing it to sink it in the Atlantic upon splashdown. Paul Scott Anderson NASA concluded that the Apollo I deaths of Grissom, as well as astronauts Edward H. White and Roger Chafee, were the result of an explosive fire that burst from the pure oxygen atmosphere of the space capsule. He went to the door, and found the wife of another astronaut. "As a result of that tragedy, a lot of changes were made to the spacecraft," Swanson said. So we went back there, and she told usthat our dad was never coming home again, said Chaffee, who was 8 years old. . After taking a long walk on the beaches of Lake Michigan that night, Chaffee returned the next morning and passed the vision test with flying colors, according to his NASA biography. His life was tragically snuffed out on the evening of 27 January 1967, killed in a horrific fire aboard the Apollo 1 command module on Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy. As a child, she would dream of her father coming home after his death. February 6, 2017, 8:28 pm, by The Grand Rapids native is being . Whilst an undergraduate at Purdue, Chaffee was hired to teach freshman mathematics classes, and it was during this period, in September 1955, that he met the young woman who would later become his wife. The Grissoms were the first astronaut family to become involved. National Space Award Gold Medal and Citation. In 1954, Chaffee nearly washed out of his flight training when he failed an eye test. February 2, 2017, 9:19 pm, by I have certain chores to do and I get a good allowance.My parents say I can do and be what I want to. The wives of the three dead menBetty Grissom, Pat White and Martha Chaffeelater sued North American for its shoddy spacecraft. Ed White is buried at West Point. She worked as a late-night telephone operator for Indiana Bell, putting her husband through college at Purdue, where he studied mechanical engineering on the G.I. Credit: Julian Leek / JNN. Afterward, Martha Chaffee, then 27, returned home with Stephen and her 8-year-old daughter, Sheryl. Career: Served in the Navy until his selection as a NASA astronaut in 1963 One of the more prominent debunkers of the "we-never-went-to-the-moon" crowd has published his "disgust" that Bill Kaysing would suggest that Gus Grissom was murdered in order to silence him. https://www.nytimes.com/1968/03/01/archives/astronauts-widow-is-wed.html. Astronaut Edward H. White, II rides life raft in the foreground as astronaut Roger B. Chaffee sits in hatch of the boilerplate model of the spacecraft during water egress training in a swimming pool at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, Texas. Here, LIFE.com recalls one of the worst disasters in NASA's historyand its first public tragedywhen astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died in a fire inside their command module on a Cape Canaveral launchpad on Jan. 27, 1967. "Chief among them was a hatch that opened outward rather than inward." Its not the distance its in here, he said, pointing to his heart. The crew's spacesuits were changed from nylon to beta cloth, which is nonflammable. "I would like to be an electronics engineer.I am 14 yours [sic] old. . Mrs. Grissoms prosecution of the case wasnt well accepted by the two other widows, Krist said. Chaffee met his future wife Martha Louise Horn on a double blind date in September 1955. Subscribers may view the full text of this article in its original form through TimesMachine. January 5, 2017, 8:00 am, by It took Chaffee about two hours to bring in the fish which he froze and presented to his wife, Martha, when he returned to Jacksonville, Florida. Biden set for first veto on Senate bill opposing climate-friendly investing, Global carbon dioxide emissions hit new highs last year, says IEA report, Young women are criticized for this vocal tic but it helps whales survive, when a blaze erupted in their command module during preflight testing, the first American to conduct a spacewalk, Annie Glenn: When I called John, he cried. 48.) These anniversaries are difficult for Sheryl Chaffee. I have the rank of Star Scout and I am a patrol leader.For friends I like to have kids who will stick up for their own rights. While they were not paid much, the Life magazine contract allowed the family to build a new suburban home, next door to fellow astronaut Gene Cernan. Born in Grand Rapids on Feb. 15, 1935, Chaffee developed an early interest in aviation from his father, Don Chaffee, a "barnstorming pilot" whose day job involving working as chief inspector for local defense contractor, Doehler-Jarvis. . He had a dry sense of humor. The burst of fire, together with the sounds of rupture, caused several pad personnel to believe that the command module had exploded or was about to explode, it states. He wasn't afraid. Mr. Grissom was 40. I s Gus Grissom's widow herself about to "abandon in place" the memorial vigil she has maintained over the last 48 years since the fiery death suffered by her husband, Astronaut Commander Virgil "Gus" Grissom and fellow astronauts Roger Chaffee and Ed White back in 1967 at Pad 34 Cape Canaveral Air Force . The wife of NASA astronaut, Robert Lawrence, committed suicide in October of 1967. I think I even asked her, 'what, are you getting divorced?'. The Associated Press reported earlier this week that though the capsule is still kept in storage, the Apollo 1 hatch will be on display at Kennedy Space Center. The January 1967 death of Gus Grissom, along with Ed White and Roger Chaffee in the Apollo 1 fire, is a possibility. She said she remembers walking through the buildings of the Space Center, thinking, I know I'm going to see him out here. At 28, he was the youngest person selected by NASA. Betty pioneered the way, and the wake created made it comfortable for the others to follow, Krist said. He was always thinking about how to make something better. It was a lesson NASA would have to learn again after the space shuttle Challenger disaster. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The day it happened, the crew was going through what's called a plugs out test, a sort of dress rehearsal for flight. Those watching on a video feed saw White appear to reach for the handle of the hatch. When one casts a glance at the subsequent youngest U.S. spacefarers, the current record-holder is Tammy Jernigan, who was 32 years and 29 days old when she launched aboard shuttle mission STS-40 in June 1991. "Because it happened inside the spacecraft, the accident hit home with the public," Swanson said. In 1963, while on a hunting trip in Michigan, Chaffee learned he was being admitted to the prestigious space program. He was on a hunting trip in Michigan at the time and, aged just 28, became the youngest person ever selected by NASA at that point in time for astronaut training. There were combustible materials all around the capsule, as well as vulnerable wiring and plumbing, according to the NASA summary. In 1956, he got the opportunity to pursue his dream of coaching football at the University of Oklahoma, where he would be assistant coach under Bud Wilkinson, then the highest-paid coach in the country, Canfield said. Attend a memorial at the now-crumbling launch site where 50 years ago a fire took the lives of the astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Ed White. The nation's Moon landing program suffered a shocking setback on Jan. 27, 1967, with the deaths of Apollo 1 astronauts Virgil I. Paul Scott Anderson I thought this is probably a good time to call it quits with them finally getting a memorial of some kind, she said. He admiringly described Chaffee as a workaholic and noted that the two men frequently went hunting together. Chaffee, along with astronauts Virgil Gus Grissom and Ed White II, died on Jan. 27, 1967, when a blaze erupted in their command module during preflight testing. A bagpiper stood ready and Ms. Grissom sat front and center. Roger B. Chaffee, 5, is pictured in a family photo with a plane build by his dad, Donald Chaffee. In the wake of the fire and investigation, the capsule's hatch was replaced with one that would open outward quickly. View Full Article in Timesmachine , See the article in its original context from. Paul Scott Anderson That mission was a very big eye-opener.". "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee. NASA Group Three was unusual in that it comprised a mix of experimental test pilots, Air Force engineers, ex-military fliers in research roles, and, lastly, two operational naval aviators: Chaffee and Gene Cernan. December 28, 2016, 6:08 pm, by 1 school in the nation at the time, Canfield,78, said. Ms. Grissom said this years ceremony was probably her last. The fire which raged through the command module probably originated beneath Grissoms seat on the left side of the cabin, and, although asphyxiation was the primary cause of death, all three men suffered varying degrees of burns. They also suffered thermal burns. This makes it highly likely that, had Roger Chaffee flown Apollo 1 on theplanned date, he would havenot only gained the record for the youngest U.S. spacefarer, but would have held onto it for at leasta half-century. Up until then, no one - least of all an astronauts wife - had ever challenged NASA or any aerospace company, and it was not until four years after the fire had killed the astronaut trio that I took the case.. Roger Chaffee was an earnest student who earned 10 merit badges in his first year as a Boy Scout, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Sheryl's father, Roger was an Apollo astronaut. The tragedy occurred as the trio was preparing for the first manned Apollo flight. But ultimately, you want to do it in a way that you don't hurt anybody, and everybody comes home alive. It coincided with a NASA tribute exhibit about Apollo 1 at the Kennedy Space Center, which she, like many, thought was long overdue. Full text is unavailable for this digitized archive article. The astronauts also practiced ingress and egress procedures. The Apollo 1 tragedy created a new national awareness of the dangers of the nation's space program, according to Glen Swanson, a visiting professor at Grand Valley State University and a former historian at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In West Michigan, the fire was an even deeper tragedy. The plaque, created by Paul Van Hoeydonck, was left by astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin during the Apollo 15 mission.