A cabin fire on the launch pad
27 January 1967: three astronauts died in a ground test, in a cabin of pure oxygen.
About 25 seconds
From the first electrical sign to the cabin splitting open.
Illustration timed to the Board's clock · 4× faster0.0 s
- 0.0 sA brief power surge. Most probable start: an electrical arc low in the left equipment bay
- 9.9 sFirst report of a fire from the cabin
- 24.6 sThe cabin wall splits under the pressure
- 27.6 sAll voice and data from the cabin end
Times from Apollo 204 Review Board, 1967
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This fire burned in normal gravity, on the launch pad. In orbit, flames behave differently.