The Fire Accident of the Apollo 1 Spacecraft

Abstract

In the 1960s, the United States of America invested a huge amount of money and energy in the Space Race, to catch and outrun the Soviet Union. 12 April 1961 Yuri A. Gagarin performed a space travel on the board of Vostok-1 as the first man in space. The Soviet's lead shocked the US public opinion. For the pride of the United States 25 May, John F. Kennedy announced in his congress speech that by the end of the decade, the United States will send people to the Moon. The first step was the Mercury-program, after that the Gemini-program, and for approaching and landing on the Moon, the Apollo-program. During experimental flights many accidents happen, non-planned emergency situations. These accidents could not be avoided by the Apollo-program. In the Apollo 1 fire 3 astronauts lost their lives, and the first Apollo flight was delayed for 1.5 year. This paper reveals the answer how these losses, which were the heaviest in NASA's history, could happen despite the well-regulated environment.