The Apollo 1 Fire: A Pure Oxygen Disaster | Accidents in Space | BBC Earth Science
Video from the channel BBC Earth Science about Apollo 1, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 4:09. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.
Excerpt from a BBC documentary on accidents in space devoted to the Apollo 1 fire, presented as America's lesson on the dangers of pure oxygen. On a cold morning in January 1967, Ed White, Roger Chaffee and Gus Grissom climbed the tower to test their new capsule, which was to be pressurized with pure oxygen. The day dragged on with communication dropouts until "fire" was heard over the air. The hatch was not designed to open quickly: it took five minutes, and by then all three were dead.
Witnesses and colleagues recall the confusion on the voice loop and the impact of the news. The investigation uncovered unprotected wiring surrounded by highly combustible materials, such as Velcro scattered throughout the cabin. Managers and engineers were officially blamed.