After the Apollo 1 disaster, NASA had to retrace its every move, piecing together the reasons
why the first manned mission went catastrophically wrong.
Three astronauts were dead and the space program was on pause.
And while it was one of the darkest times in NASA’s history,
the tragic accident likely saved the Apollo Program.
Up until Apollo 1, the United States was making major progress on its mission to the moon.
But, eventually, speed surpassed safety, and it ended in disaster.
For months after the fatal fire, NASA’s investigators tore apart the charred Apollo 1 spacecraft.
The exact cause of the blaze was never identified, but the final report highlighted a number
of factors including the spacecraft’s pure oxygen environment, the amount of combustible
materials in the crew cabin and the inward-opening hatch.
Many of these issues were raised by the Apollo 1 astronauts.
But the crew, along with NASA, knew that the Apollo missions walked a dangerous line of risk and reward.
Before his fatal mission, Apollo 1 Command Pilot, Gus Grissom, wrote that “The conquest
of space is worth the risk of life".
To prove that the astronaut's deaths weren't in vain, NASA decided to rebuild.
The Apollo spacecraft immediately underwent major modifications.
Unlike the block I Command-Service Modules, the redesigned spacecraft, the block II CSM,
was equipped with an outward-opening hatch
that could be released from the inside in seven seconds.
Arguably, the most incriminating error with the Apollo 1 spacecraft was the fact that
the sealed cabin was pressurized with 100-percent oxygen.
This system would likely operate safely in space, but at sea-level, the high pressure made the
Apollo 1 spacecraft extremely combustible.
So moving forward, NASA would use a mixed gas atmosphere while on the launch pad and
then switch to a single pure oxygen atmosphere once in space.
Along with fireproofing as much of the CSM as possible, the agency also made structural
changes to its launch complex and mandated strict safety procedures
for both astronauts and ground control.
NASA also needed to decide how it would proceed with the subsequent Apollo missions.
Ultimately, the agency decided that its next three uncrewed missions would be dubbed
Apollo 4, 5 and 6.
The missions would carry out test flights for the Saturn V rocket, redesigned CSM spacecraft
and Lunar Module.
About 20 months after the fire, NASA was ready for another manned Apollo mission.
On October 11, 1968, Apollo 7 successfully took to the sky and entered orbit.
The mission’s objective was to ensure the redesigned CSM was capable of operating
effectively in Earth orbit.
The Mission Commander, Wally Schirra, was the only astronaut to fly in the Mercury,
Gemini and Apollo programs.
He was joined by rookies, Walter Cunningham and Donn Eisele.
All eyes were on the Apollo 7 team, literally.
The crew, albeit reluctantly, put on the first live TV broadcast in space.
Nicknamed the “Wally, Walt, and Donn Show”, during the transmissions, the astronauts entertained
viewers by showing off the effects of microgravity and preparing hot meals in their tiny cabin.
Everything seemed to be working perfectly, well, everything except the astronauts' immune systems.
The entire crew was hit with a nasty cold.
And in space, fluids don't drain like they do on Earth, so their symptoms were exceptionally bad.
Despite the added discomfort and difficulty, the Apollo 7 crew successfully tested the
major aspects of the redesigned CSM, including the engine, which in later missions would
need to fire the spacecraft into and out of the moon’s orbit.
Once ready to return home, the astronauts fired the service module’s propulsion system,
inserting the spacecraft into a trans-Earth injection.
The command module’s heat shield proved capable of withstanding nearly 3,000 degrees
celsius during descent.
The parachutes deployed and the spacecraft safely splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean.
After 10 days and 20 hours, the Apollo 7 astronauts were finally able to blow their noses.
The successful end to the Apollo 7 mission proved that NASA’s hard reset was worth it.
In the months since the Apollo fire, the space program reinvented itself, showing that it
was dedicated to ensuring the safety of its own.
But unforeseen circumstances would force NASA to once again rapidly change course and take
on an even greater risk for Apollo 8.
What was supposed to be another mission within Earth’s orbit, wound up becoming a dangerous
trek to the far side of the moon.
In 1968, the same year as Apollo 7, NASA marked its tenth anniversary.
If you want to learn more about the agency’s first missions and the disastrous start to
the Apollo Program, check out this playlist here.
Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe!