Apollo 1
Virgil Grissom
Ed White II
Roger Chaffee
White's Medal of Honor
Chaffee's Medal of Honor

Soyuz 1
Vladimir Komarov

Soyuz 11
Georgi Dobrovolsky
Viktor Patsayev
Vladislav Volkov

Challenger STS-51L
Francis Scobee
Michael Smith
Ellison Onizuka
Ronald McNair
Judith Resnik
Gregory Jarvis
S. Christa McAuliffe
President Reagan's Speech
Memorial Service

Columbia STS-107
Rick Husband
William McCool
David Brown
Kalpana Chawla
Michael Anderson
Laurel Clark
Ilan Ramon
Photos
President Bush's Speech
Memorial Service

Other
Valentine Bondarenko
Ed Givens
Honorable Mention
Credits
About the Author

Apollo 1 crew photo. Left to right: Ed White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee.

On January 27, 1967, the United States became the first nation to lose astronauts inside a spacecraft. At approximately 6:30pm as the crew was rehearsing for their mission which was to begin on February 21, a fire swept through the pure oxygen environment of the command module. All three crew members died of asphyxia (suffocation), smoke inhalation, and intense heat within 18 seconds.

Regarding the loss of the Apollo 1 crew, President Lyndon B. Johnson said, "Three valiant young men have given their lives in the nation's service. We mourn this great loss and our hearts go out to their families."

For more information regarding Apollo 1 fire, please see the Report of the Apollo 204 Review Board.

The Apollo 1 crew in training. Left to right: Ed White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee.