Facility Provides Safer Storage

NASA informed ANN the Apollo 1 capsule and related materials was moved approximately 90 feet Saturday, to a newer, environmentally-controlled warehouse at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. The move provides better protection for the spacecraft.

Despite routine repairs made throughout the years, the original secure storage container where the vehicle was housed has been deteriorating. NASA officials determined that, due to its age, the container could not be maintained effectively to preserve the capsule.

The capsule is a visible reminder of one of the darkest hours in the space agency's 49-year history.

Astronauts Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, Lt. Col. Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee died when a flash fire swept through the spacecraft during a launch pad test at Cape Canaveral, FL on January 27, 1967.

Originally known as the AS-204 mission, it was later renamed Apollo 1 in honor of the crew.

As directed by the Apollo 204 Review Board, the capsule has been maintained at Langley.

The review board's accident report made recommendations that led to design and engineering changes and increased the overall safety for future Apollo missions and six successful lunar landings.

FMI: http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/