posted 03-11-2008 04:18 PM               

The particular instance that I am anxious to find out about pertains to the time from the opening of the hatch after the Apollo 1 fire to the removal of the bodies. More specifically, I would like to know if anyone can verify that a rescue crew member entered the capsule and threw off all the power via the cockpit switches. I am assuming that this would be a natural step, particularly when the internal capsule lights were still on after the hatch was opened.

The reason for this question is to clarify what happened to me the day after the fire. I was to take my wife to dinner that Saturday night, and I received a strange call from a person identifying himself as either FBI or NASA Security (I can't remember which). He asked me to be ready to accompany him to Canaveral within the hour. The purpose was to help in the investigation of the cause of the fire.

When he presented himself and his credentials at my home within 30 minutes, I accepted the fact that he was genuine and I packed and left. On the way to Newark Airport he explained further that there were three major suspected areas, and the company heads in each of these areas were being called to Canaveral. The three were: the battery (which exploded), the wiring harness (which showed bare spots of insulation) and the B-Mag hermetic switch (which was found in the wrong position).

To make matters worse relative to the switch, it had only been a few weeks prior that I had been to Canaveral to listen to Grissom's complaint about the hermetic switches in regard to their detent torque. He wanted to be absolutely positive that they could not "hang up" between positions. He took almost five minutes with many, many tries to demonstrate that it could be done, and finally was able to do it.

I really didn't care whether he could physically do it or not, if Grissom wanted heavier detent torque, that was that. You didn't question it. However, here is where the cheese started to bind. When I asked if he wanted the switches that were in the command module that was to have the plugs-out test in a few weeks retrofitted, he (and perhaps Deke Slayton) decided that it would hold up things, and we could do it after the test. I am pretty sure that the title of "Apollo 1" was not given to the vehicle at that time.

Now you can see why the B-Mag switch came under scrutiny -- as someone might have been aware of that meeting with Grissom and myself (perhaps Deke as "Chief Astronaut").

I am not going to go into the events that took place on the following day, other than to say that when I went to leave my motel room that morning, there were two security guards on either side of my door. They showed me the local newspaper that implied that the three astronauts were killed due to faulty contractor workmanship!! If I wasn't sweating before, I sure was then. From that moment on, I was under the protective custody of the NASA people.

I am going to skip to the third day. The battery people were exonerated, as the battery was a secondary failure. The wiring people were also let off the hook, as there seemed to be evidence to show that the wire was scuffed by some interference with another part. That left me -- and a switch that was in the wrong position. I was losing confidence fast. I had phoned for my Chief Engineer to get ready to fly down for support.

Just when it appeared blackest, the strangest thing happened. And that is the reason for this posting. A person completely out of character with those in the room guarding the switch (that was now enclosed in a heavy plex box and locked) saddled up to me and asked me to have the FBI (or whoever the "suits" were) take a fingerprint lift off the switch. He wore dungarees, a T-shirt and a baseball cap, and had a significant "beer belly." I explained that there could be no fingerprint in that soot-ladened knob as the astronauts all wore gloves and the photos showed that. He convinced me to look closer and I did, and there it was: faint but sure enough a finger print! At that time Frank Borman was in charge of the investigation and I asked him to allow the technicians to make a lift.

To cut the story short -- the fingerprint belonged to one of the rescue crew member, who stated that he threw all the switches "off" after taking off his glove to check for life. The B-Mag switch somehow was thrown incorrectly by the rescue crew member, as that switch was in some sort of reverse position to start with. So, the switch was no longer the culprit, and I was allowed to go home.

posted 03-12-2008 01:30 PM               

The test conductor said that they could not shut off the spacecraft power because it was on internal power, and the escape rocket was armed. I believe this was an error because the igniters had reportedly not been installed in the escape rocket, but Mooney didn't know this at the time. He ordered his firemen not to enter the spacecraft until the Pad Safety Officer assured him that all spacecraft power was off and the Launch Escape System had been disarmed.

This is where I become a little puzzled about the account above. "Apollo" by Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox covers the Apollo 1 fire in a fair bit of detail. The paperback edition (South Mountain Books, 2004) describes very limited entry indeed to the Level A8. Referring to Scott Simpkinson they note, "nobody got to Level A8 of the umbilical tower except someone like Simpkinson. He was alone as he took his first look at 012... He touched nothing of course. No one had touched anything, except for the medical team who had removed the bodies of the astronauts in the early hours of the morning." (This ties in to Kelly's account above.) Murray and Cox then describe the building of a device to allow investigators to enter the capsule "looking and photographing but not touching anything". This took two days to build, suggesting that no one was inside the capsule, other than the medical team, until day four.

The description of the disassembly of 012 is covered on pages 206-207. It sounds a detailed and closely monitored process. Frank Borman comments in "Countdown" (Silver Arrow Books 1988) that, "Hour after hour, I'd sit in the charred cabin - for a long time, I was the only one allowed to enter. I went in first to catalogue and inspect the switches, trying to unearth some unknown flaw in the electrical system" (page 174).

posted 03-12-2008 03:52 PM               

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Originally posted by medaris:
The description in the posting above, therefore, is very interesting, but would obviously demand a high level of proof given the apparently conflicting descriptions in other sources.

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I heard all kinds of stories afterward as to how that print got there, but I chose to accept the initial one, as the rest were just stories as far as I was concerned. Now I am reconsidering -- based upon your post.

There is no question in my mind that the conflicting details that you point out were part of the overpowering trauma of the moment. Maybe someday I will find out how that print got there, but for now I will have to stay confused.

posted 03-12-2008 04:26 PM               

During the inspection there is no special treatment of the b-mag switch, so while your details are interesting, I'm unable to offer any evidence that it was removed or disturbed other than the position examination on the 29th.

However, be aware that it is obvious during the inspection that they do touch the switches to verify their positions (they say they do) - and there is nothing to indicate a fingerprint might not be left at this time - on the second day - by those conducting the inspection (Borman, Roosa, et al). I do not know if they were wearing any gloves or special clothing.

posted 03-12-2008 04:44 PM               

I was unaware that people were touching switches on the second day. Not that I disbelieve this or feel that it is improper. Seems perfectly right to me. It clears up part of the problem that I see, and that is how the print got there. It might even clear up whose it was. But I stand confused about why the switch would be taken out of the cockpit as a suspect part. Why was it locked up and why was I brought down to Canaveral?

posted 03-12-2008 05:50 PM               

Having spent a good bit of time immersed in Apollo 1 last year when we did our DVD, and given the volume (and sometimes unusual nature) of correspondence we received surrounding it, I'm just cautious about facts surrounding the evidence we made available.

To be even more specific on the inspection, the way we know the switches were touched is that on the tape Borman is checking switch positions and someone questions whether a switch was on or off. He replies twice and then the person asking says "are you sure?" to which Borman replies "Yes, I'm pushing up on it right now." So we know they were touching the switches the second day.

posted 03-12-2008 06:58 PM               

The other possibility is that the switch WAS in that room. Although I know that this is the absolute truth, I don't think I will ever be able to prove it. I suppose if I make this a real cause, I could get to the bottom of it, but the effort would be too much for an old duffer like me. Besides, it might embarrass a few people, which is not my intention.

posted 03-16-2008 08:17 AM               

Per testimony of Richard A. Hagar, NAA Spacecraft Electrician: "Mr. Pierce asked Dick Bachand and myself to go into the Command Module after they had removed the astronauts and check through the switch positions." (Report of Apollo 204 Review Board, Appendix B, Witness Statements.)

The audio recording of Panel 24 made on January 29th states that "B-Mag is off."

Excerpts from a letter from the switch manufacturer to NAA (March 30, 1967) after a full scale investigation states: "The B-Mag switch was photographed in the "off" position after the fire, contrary to that reflected by mission data and mission requirements as to its position during the fire."

"The panel was not sooted in an area outlined by the knob in the "on" position. NAA and NASA technicians pointed out that the photos showing the switch in the "off" position were taken well after the original photos were taken."

"Technicians available at the time of the review stated that it was their recollection that the recovery crews cut certain oxygen lines and threw various switches to prevent any increased hazard during the recovery removal. The photographs of the panel supported the above contention."

"The conclusions reflected by Mssrs. Carl Creech, NASA MSC and Charles Fischer, NAA Downey were: The switch was not in the "off" position during the fire, but was turned to that position some time after the hatch was opened."

posted 03-30-2008 05:54 AM               

What little I know of Gus would suggest he was quite outspoken. Besides being astronauts these guys came mostly from a test pilot background where they were expected to raise concerns, suggest improvements and the likes.

On the day of the fire, during comms problems he was heard to say "How can we expect to talk to each other on the moon when we can't even talk to the blockhouse" ...or words to that effect.

Being one of the original Mercury 7 he was one of the most established and respected astronauts with friends in influential places. Rumors would have it that he was already earmarked to make the first landing.

posted 03-30-2008 09:12 AM               

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Originally posted by John K. Rochester:
I find it hard to believe this insinuation (or am I reading it wrong) that the crew was removed in this fashion!

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The suits are basically intact with Grissom's showing the most severe damage and I recall either the left or right lower leg of the suit detached from the rest. White's was less damaged and Chaffee's appeared barely damaged but as equally blackened as the other two.

posted 03-31-2008 01:04 PM               

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Originally posted by compass:
...he states that Grissom stated (when Young put this to him) he could not do that or he'd be fired.

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I haven't seen the movie in question, but the interesting thing to me is that John Young is making the comment for Gus. We all know Young was (in)famous for his strong memos during the shuttle program, but if you dig through the archives, you'll see that he was doing the same thing even as a junior member of the corps during the Gemini and Apollo programs. If he, as someone less famous and with less clout than Gus, wasn't afraid to speak up, why would Grissom be? Was he on that thin of ice because of MR-3 and GT-3? Hard to believe given all the other speculation that he'd be first on the moon.

My point is that the attributed quote seems implausible. Maybe Grissom made some sort of remark offhand in a tirade of complaints, but was not reflective of genuine feelings. After all, how many of us have speculated to co-workers about how a particular rash or extreme action would get us fired, without any real intent or motivation, other than just complaining as all workers do?

posted 07-15-2010 08:15 PM               

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Originally posted by kr4mula:
If Grissom very well knew he was going up in this thing, and he thought there was a genuinely severe - read: deadly - problem, would he really take the risk, go-fever or not?

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posted 07-17-2010 01:33 AM               

Wally was known to be about as outspoken as Gus was in certain matters. It seemed to be part of the Mercury crew ethic. As such, getting to around the time of the flight I would not be at all surprised if somebody in management was starting to dangle Grissom's mission as a carrot in front of him, saying that there were plenty of Gemini veterans who were ready, willing and able to fly Apollo 1 if he didn't want to. Plus, Gus was also responsible for two other guys and he could have been worried about what their getting pulled off Apollo 1 might have done to their status in the flight rotation as Deke didn't like to break up flight crews. When Al Shepherd got his ear problem which scrubbed him from the first manned Gemini flight, it sent Tom Stafford back in the queue to pair up with Wally on Gemini 6 and Young got to fly with Grissom on Gemini 3.

posted 03-07-2020 11:23 AM               

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Originally posted by hermetic:
I am presently writing my memoirs...

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posted 03-23-2020 03:43 PM               

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Originally posted by Fra Mauro:
I am surprised that they let a reporter up there.

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