Apollo 1 Cabin Fire
During a routine pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission, a sudden electrical spark ignites a flash fire inside the pure oxygen environment of the command module. The astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White
Setting
Inside the Apollo 1 command module during a pre-launch test at Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The module is mounted atop a Saturn IB rocket, enclosed within the white service structure.
Characters
Gus Grissom
primary
A middle-aged man of average height with a stocky, athletic build. His face is square-jawed with deep-set eyes, creased from years of squinting against harsh sunlight and stress. Short-cropped dark brown hair shows streaks of gray, and his hands bear callouses from years of flight controls.
Ed White
primary
A fit, athletic man in his mid-30s with short-cropped brown hair and a square jaw. His piercing blue eyes convey both intensity and warmth. Standing at 5'11" with broad shoulders from his West Point football days, he moves with the precision of a trained pilot.
Roger Chaffee
secondary
A lean, athletic man in his early 30s with short-cropped brown hair and a clean-shaven face. His blue eyes are sharp and observant, reflecting his pilot training. He has a youthful earnestness about him, tempered by military discipline.
Technician
secondary
A middle-aged man with a lean but sturdy build, early 40s, with short-cropped brown hair slightly graying at the temples. His face bears the marks of long hours under the Florida sun, with squint lines around his eyes from staring at control panels and launch pads.
Dialog
Gus Grissom
Ground, we've got a momentary power surge here. Cabin readings spiking—what's your telemetry showing? Over.
Technician
Copy that, Apollo 1. Seeing temp rise in quad... four, fifteen degrees delta. Advise cycling master power. Over.
Ed White
Roger, cycling now. She's running hot on panel C—Chaffee, confirm suit circuit integrity.
Roger Chaffee
Suit pressure holding at... three-point-eight, three-point-eight psi, sir. Getting odor—like burnt insulation. Over.
Gus Grissom
Fire. Fire in the spacecraft.
Ed White
We've got a bad fire—Roger, assist with the hatch!
Technician
All stations, emergency! I repeat—