Hatch design. Able to swing outward in five seconds, the “unified hatch” emerged in the aftermath of the Apollo 1 fire that killed three astronauts who couldn’t open the original three-part hatch design in time to escape. Manned Apollo flights were suspended for 20 months while these problems were corrected. Apollo 1 (initially designated Apollo Saturn-204 and AS-204) was the first manned mission of the U.S. Apollo manned lunar landing program. For the Apollo 11 celebration build, the hatch itself symbolized a feat of engineering that was deeply motivating. Deadly Apollo 1 fire changed spaceship design forever ... NASA changed Apollo's hatch to an outward-opening design, and that same choice persists today in Orion. ... the astronauts' deaths were attributed to a wide range of lethal design and construction flaws in the early Apollo Command Module. And then there was dead silence on the pad." Several WHA engineers were among the first to design, fabricate, and implement many of the oxygen and hazardous fluids test systems used by NASA during the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station programs. After the Apollo 1 fire, a tragedy that killed three astronauts in 1967, NASA changed its thinking about space capsule design and safety forever. The inside story of the Apollo 1 cabin fire Historian James Donovan reconstructs the moment tragedy struck the Apollo 1 countdown test . "It's the minimum entry — if …

Equipment Apollo 1/Saturn space vehicle Task being performed Launch pad test Impact to the Goals Safety Three astronauts killed Vehicle Rupture of Command Module Mission Delay in mission Property, Equip, Mtls Rupture of Command Module Labor, Time Rescue efforts No. The hell of Apollo 1: Pure oxygen, a single spark, and death in 17 seconds "I heard them scream get me out of here. With this particular design three hatches were installed. The inner hatch cover used a plug door design, sealed by higher pressure inside the cabin than outside. The Apollo 1 accident review board determined that a wire over the piping from the urine collection system had arced. The hatch design for the Apollo 1 spacecraft was not a cause of the disaster, but it had a large impact on the outcome. The middle hatch (not shown) would also have to be unlocked and removed. Hatch Design The main exit from the Command Module was through inner and outer hatches. Because of Apollo 1 and the sacrifice of its crew, the world of oxygen safety became a top priority for the United States Space Program. The outer hatch (not shown) would have to be unlocked and swung open.

view in app- … Action Item Cause 1 Quick opening hatch Hatch took 5 minutes to open A third outer layer, the boost protective hatch cover, is not shown. (North American Aviation engineering drawings modified by John Fongheiser.) The Block I hatch, as used on Apollo 1, consisted of two pieces, and required pressure inside the cabin be no greater than atmospheric in order to open.