HEROES OFSPACE
ROGER CHAFFEE
The life of this skilled astronaut was cut short by a tragic accident
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
Gus Grissom (left), Ed White (centre) and Roger Chaffee (right) during Apollo 1 training
Since childhood, Chaffee had dreamt of going into space. When he was selected to be in NASA’s third group of astronauts, Chaffee’s goal became reality. Unfortunately, this would lead to tragedy, and he became one of the three fatalities of one of NASA’s worst disasters. Less than a month before the maiden voyage, a flash fire killed the Apollo 1 crew as they underwent a preflight test on the launchpad. Chaffee didn’t make it to space, but his achievements and the safety changes made after his mission are celebrated.
Chaffee was born in Michigan. He acquired his love of flying from his father, who had been a pilot. As a teenager, Chaffee was a keen scientist and mathematician, developing an interest in electronic engineering. Following high school, he began a naval scholarship at the Illinois Institute of Technology. However, after connecting his passions for science and flying, he soon decided to transfer to Purdue University in Indiana to study aeronautical engineering. After attaining his aeronautical engineering degree,