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Apollo Fire Research Paper

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On January 27, 1967 tragedy struck the Apollo program when a fire occurred in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the Apollo/space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight, the AS-204 mission. Three astronauts lost their lives. They were Roger Chafee, Edward White and Virgil Grissom. Investigation suggested that an electrical arc had been produced in the lower equipment bay beneath Grissom’s couch. Flames fed by the pure oxygen atmosphere spread through flammable materials in the cockpit. The astronauts tried to unbolt the inward-opening hatches but had difficulty. The air pressure within the cabin was high and opening the hatches were impossible. The fire caused an 18 month shutdown of the Apollo programme. Many changes

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