"HOW CAN WE GET TO THE MOON IF WE CAN'T TALK BETWEEN BUILDINGS?"

NASA'S FIRST TRAGEDY:  A FIRE IN THE COCKPIT

Cape Kennedy (JFK+50) On January 27, 1967, NASA experienced its first tragedy.  At 6:31 p.m. Eastern time, a sudden fire blazed through the Command Service Module of Apollo I as a pre-launch test was underway.  Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee perished.

According to Hanneke Weitering of Space.com, "the crew spent the entire afternoon sitting inside the space capsule" waiting for various problems to be addressed.  One problem was with communication.  Gus Grissom at one point shouted..."How are we going to get to the moon if we can't talk between two or three buildings?"

The sudden fire caused the air pressure inside the cabin to rise so quickly that the hatch could not be opened.    A later investigation showed that an electrical spark in the CSM ignited nylon material and the pure oxygen atmosphere. 

The astronauts themselves had reservations about the safety of their spacecraft.  They posed for a photograph (see below) in a praying position with the caption..."It isn't that we don't trust you, Joe, but this time we've decided to go over your head."  (Joe was Apollo spacecraft program manager, Joseph F. Shea.*)

Apollo I was to have been the first manned flight of the Command/Service Module, but the fire and death of the astronauts put a stop to manned space flights for more than a year and a half.  Weitering writes that NASA learned from these mistakes and made future space crafts much safer.**

*Joseph Francis Shea (1925-1999) was born in New York & earned his PhD at the University of Michigan in 1955.  JFS was hired by NASA in 1961.  As a result of the Apollo I fire & subsequent investigation he left NASA & later was employed by Raytehon of Lexington, MA.  JFS also was a professor at MIT.

**Corrections were made as a result of the tragedy.  The highly flammable pure oxygen was replaced by a mix of oxygen & nitrogen and flame retardant materials were required.

SOURCE

"50th Anniversary of Apollo I Fire:  What NASA Learned from the Tragic Accident," by Hanneke Weitering, January 27, 2017, www.space.com/

Ed White, Gus Grissom & Roger Chaffee

April 1, 1966

NASA Photo

Apollo I Fire Damage

January 28, 1967

NASA Photo

NASA'S FIRST TRAGEDY, 50 YEARS AGO TODAY

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2202

WE'VE GOT A FIRE IN THE COCKPIT

Cape Kennedy Air Force Launch Complex 34 (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy set the goal in 1961 to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.  Three astronauts died fifty years ago today in an effort to help meet that goal.

At 6:31 p.m. Eastern time, a sudden fire blazed through the Command Service Module of Apollo I as a pre-launch test was underway.  Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee were scheduled for launch on February 21, 1967. 

A later investigation showed that an electrical spark in the CSM ignited nylon material and the pure oxygen atmosphere.  A door hatch, designed to open inward, could not be activated due to the intense cabin pressure.*

The astronauts themselves had reservations about the safety of their spacecraft.  They posed for a photograph (see below) in a praying position with the caption...

"It isn't that we don't trust you, Joe, but this time we've decided to go over your head."

Joe was Apollo spacecraft program manager, Joseph F. Shea.**

Apollo I was to have been the first manned flight of the Command/Service Module, but the fire and death of the astronauts put a stop to manned space flights for more than a year and a half.

Hanneke Weitering of space.com writes that NASA's Kennedy Space Center "will unveil a new Apollo I tribute in its visitor center complex at the Apollo/Saturn V Center and informs us that a wreath-laying ceremony will be conducted at the graves of Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee in Arlington National Cemetery on January 31, 2017. 

*Corrections were made as a result of the tragedy.  The highly flammable pure oxygen was replaced by a mix of oxygen & nitrogen and flame retardant materials were required.

**Joseph Francis Shea (1925-1999) was born in New York & earned his PhD at the University of Michigan in 1955.  JFS was hired by NASA in 1961.  As a result of the Apollo I fire & subsequent investigation he left NASA & later was employed by Raytehon of Lexington, MA.  JFS also was a professor at MIT.

SOURCE

"Apollo Tragedy Taught NASA Some Very Important Lessons," by Hanneke Weitering, space.com, NBC NEWS, www.nbcnews.com/

Ed White, Gus Grissom & Roger Chaffee

April 1, 1966

NASA Photo

Apollo I Fire Damage

January 28, 1967

NASA Photo

OPEN SKIES PROPOSALS

IKE PRESENTS OPEN SKIES PROPOSALS AT GENEVA SUMMIT

Geneva, Switzerland (JFK+50) Sixty years ago today, July 21, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented his "Open Skies" proposals at the Geneva Summit.

The proposals called for both the United States and Soviet Union to exchange maps detailing the exact location of all military installations. 

They also provided that once the maps were "in hand" both nations could conduct aerial flights over the installations of each others country to make sure they were in compliance with arms control agreements.

According to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, President Eisenhower "reasoned that getting permission to fly over Soviet military facilities while granting permission for the Soviets to overfly U.S. military installations would greatly ease tensions between the superpowers."

The Soviets rejected Ike's proposals which resulted in the continuation of U.S. reconnaissance flights over the U.S.S.R.  In August 1960, however, the first CORONA reconnaissance satellite ended the need for U.S. overflights of the Soviet Union for a period of 30 years.

In 1989, the Open Skies proposal was revived "to allow countries without satellites to get reliable information about military development in other countries."

SOURCE

"Open Skies Proposals," National Museum of the United States Air Force, January 6, 2006, www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Official White House Portrait

LIBERTY BELL 7 SINKS DURING RECOVERY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-four years ago today, July 21, 1961, Liberty Bell 7, a spacecraft piloted by astronaut Gus Grissom, splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean only to sink during the recovery process.

President John F. Kennedy watched live television coverage at the White House.

While the flight itself was deemed a success, NASA officials were more than concerned about the sinking of Grissom's space capsule.

In the afternoon, JFK signed into law HR 6874 authorizing the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Astronaut Gus Grissom

Liberty Bell 7

NASA Photo

LIBERTY BELL 7 SINKS

GUS GRISSOM'S "LIBERTY BELL 7" SINKS

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-three years ago today, July 21, 1961, NASA astronaut Gus Grissom* splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean after a sub-orbital space flight but unfortunately his spacecraft, "Liberty Bell 7", sank during the recovery process.

The flight, which had lasted more than 15 minutes, ended on a scary note as the emergency explosive bolts misfired and blew the hatch open.  Grissom was able to escape to safety despite the fact that his spacesuit filled with water.

Attempts to retrieve the "Liberty Bell 7" by helicopter were unsuccessful.

Gus Grissom was the second American astronaut to fly in space and later became the first of the Mercury 7 to do so twice.

President John F. Kennedy watched live television coverage at the White House.

Astronaut Gus Grissom

Liberty Bell 7

NASA Photo

*Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (1926-1967) was born in Mitchell, Indiana.  He received his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.

Grissom served in the USAF during the Korean War, earned a degree in Aeromechanics and in 1959 was selected as one of the original "Mercury 7" astronauts.

Gus Grissom died in a tragic fire during a pre-launch test for Apollo 1.

MONKEY BUSINESS COMES TO AN END IN TENNESSEE

Dayton, Tennessee (JFK+50) Rhea County High School science teacher and coach, John Thomas Scopes, was found guilty 89 years ago today, July 21, 1925, of violating Tennessee's Butler Act here in Dayton.

The Butler Act, passed earlier in the year, provided that the teaching of the theory of evolution was illegal in the public schools of the state of Tennessee.

The prosecution of the Scopes case was assisted by three time Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan who was also a religious fundamentalist.

The defense, sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union, was provided by Clarence Darrow.

Despite being found guilty, Scopes was fined only $100 and the fine was never paid.  Upon appeal, the guilty plea was reversed due to a technicality.

The Butler Act remained on the statute books of Tennessee until 1967.

Darrow and Bryan

Dayton, Tennessee

July 1925

NASA CREATED 55 YEARS AGO TODAY

July 29, 2013

NASA CREATED BY LAW 55 YEARS AGO TODAY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) The Congress of the United States passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act 55 years ago today, July 29, 1958, creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA.

The act, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, set up NASA as a civilian agency to operate the space program of the United States.

President John F. Kennedy would make the space effort an integral part of his New Frontier program and set the goal in 1961 to land a man on the moon before decade's end.

    Dr. William H. Pickering^ and JFK
           Mariner Spacecraft Model
             White House Oval Office 
                   NASA Photo (1961)

^William H. Pickering was Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The agency, which would begin operations on October 1, 1958, was created in the aftermath of the October 4, 1957 launch of the world's 1st man-made satellite, Sputnik, by the Soviet Union.

Earlier, on January 1, 1958,  the United States launched Explorer I, our 1st successful space satellite.

          Vehicle Assembly Building
       John F. Kennedy Space Center
            Cape Canaveral, Florida
    Photo by MrMiscellanious (2005)


Today NASA has a budget of $17.8 billion and more than 18,000 employees.  It has directed the Apollo missions to the moon as well as Skylab, the Space Station and the Space Shuttle.

JFK CALLED GUS GRISSOM FOLLOWING HIS SUCCESSFUL SPACEFLIGHT

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy placed a call by radio telephone from the White House 52 years ago today, July 29, 1961, to the Randolph and congratulated Air Force Captain Virgil "Gus" Grissom* on his successful spaceflight.

The flight, aboard the Liberty Bell 7, lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds.

          Gus Grissom and Liberty Bell 7 
                            July 21, 1961
                            NASA Photo

*Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (1926-1967) was born in Mitchell, Indiana.   The 2nd American astronaut to fly in space, GG joined the USAF in 1944.  After WWII, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.

Gus served in the Korean War and was chosen as one of the original 7 Mercury astronauts by NASA.  

Gus Grissom died along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee in a fire which broke out during a pre launch test in 1967.

101st AIRBORNE TO VIETNAM 48 YEARS AGO 

Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam (JFK+50) 4000 paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army arrived here in South Vietnam 48 years ago today, July 29, 1965.

Most of the operations conducted by the 101st were in the Central Highlands and the A Shau Valley.*

*During its time of service in Vietnam, the 101st earned 17 Medals of Honor for bravery in combat.

   101st Airborne Soldiers in Vietnam



DIANA AND CHARLES WED 32 YEARS AGO 

London, England (JFK+50) Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, married Lady Diana Spencer 32 years ago today, July 29, 1981, in a lavish ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral.

A television audience estimated at 750 million people watched the wedding around the world.

The service was a traditional Church of England ceremony which was presided over by the Most Reverend Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The royal couple would honeymoon aboard the royal yacht Britannia which would take them on an 11 day cruise on the Mediterranean Sea.

          Prince Charles, Lady Diana, 
           Nancy and Ronald Reagan
         Reagan Library Photo (1985)

   

JFK WATCHES GRISSOM'S RETURN TO EARTH

July 21, 1961


JFK WATCHES GRISSOM'S RETURN TO EARTH


Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy watched live television coverage today at the White House as Gus Grissom's sub-orbital space flight ended with splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.


While the flight itself was deemed a success, NASA officials were more than concerned about the sinking of Grissom's capsule, "Liberty Bell 7", during the recovery process.


In the afternoon, JFK signed into law "HR 6874" authorizing the establishment of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration.

                  Astronaut Gus Grissom
                           Liberty Bell 7
                            NASA Photo


July 21, 1962


JFK ASKS RFK TO INVESTIGATE ALBANY DEMONSTRATION


Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy filed a request with the Attorney General, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, today to investigate the civil rights demonstration that took place less than 2 weeks ago in Albany, Georgia.


As a result of the demonstration, civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Rev. Ralph Abernathy were arrested & put in jail.


July 21, 1955


EISENHOWER PRESENTS "OPEN SKIES"


Geneva, Switzerland (JFK+50) United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented his "Open Skies" proposals here today at the Geneva Summit.


The proposals call for both the United States & Soviet Union to exchange maps detailing the exact location of all military installations. 


They also provide that once the maps are "in hand" both nations may conduct aerial flights over the installations of each others country to make sure they are in compliance with arms control agreements.


Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, not impressed with the proposals, said they are just an example of American propaganda.

                    Dwight D. Eisenhower
         Official White House Portrait


July 21, 1925


SCOPES FOUND GUILTY IN DAYTON,TENNESSEE


Dayton, Tennessee (JFK+50) Rhea County High School science teacher & coach, John Thomas Scopes, was found guilty today of violating Tennessee's Butler Act.


The Butler Act, passed earlier this year, provides that the teaching of the theory of evolution is illegal in the public schools of the state of Tennessee.


The prosecution of the Scopes case was assisted by 3 time Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan who is also a religious fundamentalist.


The defense, sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union, was provided by Clarence Darrow.*


*Despite being found guilty, Scopes was fined only $100 & the fine was never paid.  Upon appeal, the guilty plea was reversed due to a technicality.


The Butler Act remained on the statute books of Tennessee until 1967.

                     Darrow & Bryan
             Rhea County Court House
                   Dayton, Tennessee
                            July 1925


July 21, 1861


UNION ARMY IN RETREAT AFTER DEFEAT AT BULL RUN


Manassas Junction, Virginia (JFK+50) The Union Army under General Irwin McDowell was routed today in the 1st major battle of the War Between the States.


The Confederate army under General P.G.T. Beauregard drove the Federals across Bull Run Creek  & back to Washington.


The turning point in the battle came on Henry House Hill where the Union attack was suddenly stopped by the Virginia troops led by General Thomas Jonathan Jackson.


Calling out to some of the Rebels who were in retreat, General Bernard Bee said:


"Look, there's Jackson standing like a stone wall.  Rally behind the Virginians."


From that point on, the Union Army's advance quickly turned into retreat.*


*Thomas Jonathan Jackson will go on to become General Robert E. Lee's right hand man & he would forever be known as "Stonewall Jackson".

      Statue of Stonewall Jackson
Manassas National Battlefield Park
               Manassas, Virginia
      Photo by MamaGeek (2009)