Page 12 - The Appollo Story

~-----------t The Apollo Storyt-----------........

Apollo 1 (AS-204) Apollo's Darkest
Hour
A medical board determined that the as-
tronauts died of carbon monoxide as-
phyxia, with thermal bums as contribut-
ing causes. The board could not say how
much of the bums came after the three
had died. Fire had destroyed 70% of
Grissom's spacesuit, 20% of White's and
15% of Chaffee's. Doctors treated 27 men
for smoke inhalation. Two were hospitalised. The crew of Apollo 1 had slipped
into unconsciousness from the noxious fumes, and death soon followed. The pictures are of the outside
and the interior of the Command Module that show the effects of the intense heat of the flash fire.

Cha ff e

n

gthy Day of Mourning
Lindsay Proclaims

Dated a week later this cover was a tribute from New York with the then Mayor, John V Lindsay (the
103rd Mayor of New York) proclaiming a day of mourning. He was Mayor for 8 years from 1 January
1966 to 31 December 1973.

Did You Know?
Political Fallout
Internal acrimony developed between NASA and North American over assignment of blame. N'orth Ameri-
can argued unsuccessfully it was not responsible for the fatal error in spacecraft atmosphere design. Finally,
NASA Administrator, James E. Webb contacted North American president John L. Atwood, and demanded
either he or Chief Engineer Harrison A. Storms resign. Atwood elected to fire Storms.