What We Learned from the Apollo 1 Fire

The Apollo 1 fire was a tragedy and a huge wake-up call for NASA, causing them to get much more serious about their safety procedures and technology, and also changed their attitude towards spaceflight in general.

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Sources:
Senate report:
Findings and Recommendations:
Phillips Report:
Kranz’s speech:

Images:

[scishowspace]

A note on the use of the word "flammable" in this video: Oxygen isn't what catches fire; it's not technically flammable, but it does make fuel ignite and burn more easily. Thanks for pointing out that confusion.

[francispitts]

This girl is always so happy and smiling. It’s contagious. Love it. 😊

[SeenAte]

Oxygen itself isn't flammable. A pure oxygen atmosphere will definitely accelerate a fire. But in the video you say oxygen is very flammable which is not the case

[microbuilder]

We learned that a high pressure pure oxygen environment with tons mechanical electrical switches, other spark-inducing equipment and flammable materials is a bad idea. Hindsight...

[jessicae]

This was a great video to watch after learning about the space programs today at space camp.

[TheJaredtheJaredlong]

RIP Gus Grissom.
One of the greatest Hoosiers on Earth and in Space.

[sghaiermohamed]

that ending transition felt so smooth. probably because they didn't thank their patreons

[rwj]

Oxygen's weight was NOT an issue. The original North American Aviation design called for mixing Nitrogen with Oxygen at ratios similar to what you breathe on Earth. The weight of the extra hardware required for Nitrogen tanks large enough to go to the moon and back,  plus the associated plumbing, valves, and controls to mix it with Oxygen was indeed a weight issue. BUT on the launch pad and up until the rocket reached an altitude of about 60 miles high, where the atmosphere is almost non-existent, NASA did mix in Nitrogen after Apollo 1. I seem to recall that the capsule would bleed out the nitrogen slowly as the capsule ascended to orbit. Once orbit was achieved the Astronauts were in a 100% pure oxygen environment at about 4 psi. If you are breathing 100% pure Oxygen in the vacuum of space, the capsule is only required to be pressurized to 3.8 ~ 4.5 psi. At these lower pressures, the Oxygen doesn't cause things to burn violently. At sea level, atmospheric pressure is about 14.7 psi. Since the "plugs out" test was performed at sea level, in order to get the pressure in the capsule to exert the same amount of pressure on the inside of the hull as it would experience in the vacuum of space with 4.5 psi, NASA had to pressurize the inside to 14.7 psi PLUS the normal cabin pressure of about 4.5 psi. Now the pressure inside the capsule would be over 19 psi. 100% Oxygen at 19 psi will cause solid aluminum to burn explosively.

[boy]

Had this tragedy not happen, it's still a matter of time before a similar accident happens

[humanperson]

Judging by your smile, I get the distinct feeling that you had something to do with this.

[disrxt]

I was wicked into the space program as a child, following our progress to the Moon completely obsessed me! I was six when this tragedy happened. I was convinced for years that I had seen a photograph of the three dead astronauts, skeletons inside their suits. I realize now it was a nightmare that had a profound affect on me. I can still see that image in my mind's eye, that's how 'real' it was to my six year old self.

[hellcat]

So what you're saying is every time NASA gets cocky, people die... Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia...

[Waltham]

What we've learned about space travel over the last 56 years?

They always lose your luggage.

[ginnyjollykidd]

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) didn't exist until 1970. EMS was an experimental program to put medicine in the field to make it possible for hospitals to authorize treatment of patients.

This was implemented in Los Angeles based on many cases of heart attacks. The patients who arrived in the hospital within an hour of onset had the best chances for survival. This was the impetus to put EMT's in the field. Both Los Angeles, CA and Louisville, KY implemented this life - saving service, and this program has grown by leaps and bounds ever since, saving people's lives in many different situations.

[marksman]

i love that SciShow referenced an accident investigation model

[KingsleyIII]

I thought it said "Apollo 11 fire". I read the description and thought _I didn't even know there was a fire during the Apollo 11 mission. It couldn't have been_ too _tragic, considering they made it back safely_. But no. It's Apollo 1. Just one 1.

[northMOFN]

Now do one about Roger Boisjoly, Bob Ebeling, and the other Thiokol engineers who had *almost* convinced NASA it would be unsafe to launch Challenger in the cold, before Thiokol management told NASA those guys were full of beans and everything would be just fine honest.

[audreywinter]

One of the materials they used less/modified after the accident, was velcro. It's incredibly useful to fasten all sorts of things to prevent them from floating around. But as understand, it was mostly the velcro that caught fire.

[ginnyjollykidd]

Oxygen is not flammable. It is an oxidizer, which is one of the three necessary components of a fire: igniter, oxidizer, and fuel. Take any one away and the fire dies. The fuel is what is flammable. The igniter starts the fire. The oxidizer sustains the fire.

[whoeveriamiam]

meanwhile the soviet union crammed 3 people into a Vostok capsule to beat the Gemini missions to send multiple people into space on a single rocket. they removed all the safety features and renamed it Voskhod