The Year 1966 in 21 Historical Images (Part 2)

On August 19, 1966, Apollo 1 astronauts Ed White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee posed for a tongue-in-cheek photo that took on a heartbreaking legacy. Frustrated by endless technical delays and manufacturing flaws in their spacecraft, the trio bowed their heads in prayer over a tiny model of the command module. They sent the joke photo straight to North American Aviation manager Joe Shea to poke fun at the ship’s mechanical woes. Tragically, the lighthearted jab hit the mark terribly. On January 27, 1967, a sudden flash fire swept through the Command Module during a routine launchpad test at Cape Kennedy. Trapped inside by a complex hatch, all three men lost their lives.