The 1997 Apollo One Memorial Ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Over one hundred people from across the US and as far away as British Columbia gathered at the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Station on January 27, 1997.

Although divided by distance, they were united in purpose to pay tribute to the memories of Gus Grissom, Ed White II and Roger Chaffee. The heroic crew of Apollo One died thirty years before in a tragic flash fire which swept through their spacecraft while undergoing a count-down test at Launch Complex 34.

The memory of that disaster so effected the families, friends and colleagues of the astronauts that space veterans would refer to the tragedy simply as "the fire"; needing, and indeed tolerating, no other description.*

Motivated by a life-long interest in space exploration as well as a desire to see Grissom, White and Chaffee honored as the heroes they were, Mark Pinchal visited the site of the fire to pay his respects in 1985. After learning that no one had ever held a memorial service for the crew at Pad 34, Mark resolved to return annually to keep alive their memory.

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fire in 1992, Bob Castro traveled to Pad 34 for much of the same reasons. After meeting Mark, they both agreed to collaborate on future observances and to find and inform others who might share a similar interest in this part of space history.

Uppermost in their minds was the concern that their efforts would be in accordance with the wishes of the crew's families. Over the next five years they labored to contact the families, get out the word and hold expanded annual memorial ceremonies each January 27th.

The culmination of that effort was the thirtieth anniversary memorial ceremony. In addition to former astronaut colleagues, coworkers, friends and interested private citizens, almost three dozen members of all three families attended one or both of the two ceremonies scheduled for that special day of observance.

Because the remains of Pad 34 could not accommodate the large number of people who wished to attend, a public ceremony was held at the Astronauts Memorial adjacent to the Visitor's Center of the Kennedy Space Center. A second, private ceremony was held for the families at Pad 34 that evening to coincide with the time of the fire.

The result was a moving experience for all who attended. Because of the advanced age of some family members, the likelihood of a reunion such as this on a future anniversary is doubtful.

What follows is a transcript of the two ceremonies with additional comments by some of the participants. The proceedings were videotaped by Mike Ellenberg, Kevin McCoy and Geoff King. In keeping with the non-profit nature of this memorial ceremony, copies may be obtained, for just the cost of media and postage, from Bob Castro.(Telephone: (770) 939-2770 [home] or (404) 634-6181 [work])

* "Apollo, the race to the Moon" by Charles Murray & Catherine Bly Cox. 1989. Simon & Schuster, p. 189.

Introduction

Daytime Ceremony	Evening Ceremony
Apollo One Memorial Home Page