TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Sunday commemorates 52 years since the tragic Apollo 1 disaster that cost the lives of three astronauts.
- A total of 17 American astronauts have died
- Monday marks 33rd anniversary of Challenger disaster
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Back in 1967, a flash fire occurred in the command module during a launch pad test of the Apollo/Saturn space vehicle. The three astronauts who died in the accident were Command Pilot Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee.
This as Saturday, the Space Coast honored the total 17 people who lost their lives while in the service of mankind as U.S. astronauts.
A moment of reflection took place at the Astronaut Memorial Ceremony in Titusville. One member of the memorial committee says that their sacrifice is what gave us the Space Program that we know today.
“The disasters that happened when they happened, they were life changing events and that created a safer environment for our astronauts. The ones going up there today are sitting on a bomb, putting their lives on the line and they are trusting the engineers the make it to space," said Lt. Col. Albert Therriault, the chairman of the Flag and Memorial Committee.
Tragedy also struck the space program 33 years ago on Monday when the Challenger shuttle mission came to sudden end, 73 seconds after liftoff.
The shuttle broke up in a plume of smoke and fire, killing all seven on board.