Astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee die in a pure oxygen fire in their spacecraft during a ground simulation during the Apollo I mission; Roger Chaffee, a US Navy pilot who had taken part in the photographic reconnaissance of Cuba in October 1962, has time to shout: “Fire in the spacecraft! We’re on fire! Get us out of here!”; as per procedure, Chaffee, the youngest, remains seated while the commander and the pilot attempt to open the hatch.
