Before the Fire
Veteran space reporter Jay Barbree recalls Apollo's darkest day.
- By Jay Barbree
- AirSpaceMag.com, November 01, 2007
Jay Barbree (left)and Gus Grissom around the time of the astronaut's Gemini 3 flight in 1965.
Courtesy Jay Barbree
(Page 3 of 7)
He nodded a thank you and moved his chair back, still troubled. Trish finished her set and joined us, and we ended the conversation with a handshake.
Gus enjoyed Trish’s company, her singing, but despite what some thought, there was nothing going on between the two except friendship. Trish and I were good friends, as we still are today, and I knew she was involved with an astronaut, but he wasn’t Gus Grissom. There were lots of stories in those days about the astronauts and women, but in most part they were just that: stories.
In one case, a sleazy private investigator had offered NBC an audiotape for a price. It supposedly was a recording of an astronaut in bed with a woman other than his wife. I asked him to leave the tape with me, telling him I needed to play it for my boss in New York. No sooner than he’d left the NBC bureau, I erased it, and called him with a “We’ll pass.”
Later, I learned he didn’t have a copy and my bosses, Russ Tornabene and Jim Holten, joined me for a good laugh.
In the coming days, I questioned Apollo managers often and regularly. I wanted to know why they weren’t addressing problems that had been brought to my attention. I wanted to know why they were in such an all fired hurry to launch in late 1967 or early 1968. John Kennedy had set the launch for before the decade was out. Why didn’t they take their time? Was beating the Russians more important than astronaut lives? But the news media then weren’t as aggressive as they are today. This was six years before Watergate, and no matter how many times I raised Gus’s complaints with colleagues, most reporters gave his concerns short shrift.
One exception was my friend Howard Benedict of the Associated Press. I briefed Howard and we both stayed on top of Gus’s worries, nipping at the heels of Apollo’s movers and shakers.
Howard had come to the Cape a year after I did – only a few years out of Tokyo where he worked with my boss Russ Tornabene on the Army’s newspaper, the Stars and Stripes. This sort of made us family, and he and I became tight. We spent three decades leading the pack and watching each other’s backs. Damn, I miss him! Howard was the kind of close friend you hated to see leave this world ahead of you.
I kept trying to get NBC to do more stories on the problems with the Apollo. The Today Show passed and Huntley-Brinkley turned the story over to one of their favorites. He kissed off Gus’ concerns while I did what I could on the NBC Radio Network. The press and public ignored the whole damn thing, and the first Apollo labeled “flight worthy” was stacked atop its Saturn 1B rocket. The launch team prepared for the one launch-pad test considered essential. Called a “plugs out” test, it was a complete shakedown of the spacecraft’s ability to fly safely -- a countdown simulation with 100 percent oxygen and fully suited astronauts sealed inside. The space agency posted Friday, January 27, for this “full dress rehearsal.”
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Comments (2)
I was at the Cape and knew Jay from card games at the University Club. But more important, I was an engineer on the Apollo program as a launch team member. I was the responsible Engineer for the GSE gear for the PIB,and was at home, when the word of the fire came out. Knowing that the launch escape tower had to be removed and the required equipment was at the PIB, I went back to the MSOB to provide my services. As most GSE personnel were in lock down, I was assigned to go meetings as the GSE rep. I was the one to convince the committee to use the PIB for the tear down, not the MSOB. I prepared the PIB and was in charge of the operation of the PIB, including setting up the "cold room". I was in on all the local investigations. I listen to the tape over and over, no one then nor later reports were sure of what was said. Gus WAS NOT in his seat and the fire DID NOT start under his seat. The crew at the pad did not a good view of the inside and most learned of the fire, when the pressure vessel ruptured and smoke filled the level.
I could on about Jay's making copy sell. But I want to make some points. Why was there not a simple opening hatch, one that could be built quickly from existing designs? Maybe it was because Gus blew the hatch and lost his capsule in the Sea. Each person can have their opinion, but not many if any, thought Gus was the best. THEN " Silence". There was all kinds of actions being taken with lots of noise. Silence? perhaps because all data transmissions were lost from the spacecraft! The crew did not burn to death, they were killed by smoke inhalation, only LMP had bad burns to his legs.
I have cooled off, but I still get angry when people that should know their facts, distort them for drama. I always like Jay's reporting just not his history.
John Hill
MEPS
Posted by John Hill on November 18,2009 | 08:06 PM
I would like to thank John Hill for his many years of service to his country and NASA during, what had to be, very trying times. Very few people can speak from direct, first hand knowledege of history. Americans seem to forget what those times (Cold War) were like. Again, thank you. While I was not there and do not have first hand knowledge, I do have the benefit of docucment declassification and history through the eyes of others. Having read every book Mercury and Apollo Astronauts have written as well as thousands of pages of Goverment documents. I can say, without hesitation, that Gus did not 'blow the hatch'. I can go even further. After reviewing the schematics of the the plunger/trigger in question with other engineers (both mechanical and electrical) we can state (granted our opinion) how and why it blew. We can also state why it never blew again. (even though no change was made to the design). Mr. Hill you are correct that the Apollo Block 1 Capsul hatch design was bad, to say the least. It NEVER should have been approved for manned flight. The Block 2 Capsul was not far away and NASA and Gus knew better then to fly that design. I would like to attempt and address the comment "not many if any, thought Gud was the best" You are correct Mr. Hill we all have our opinions. I would like the opportunity to hear more of yours, truly. But, Deke Slaton, Chris Craft and Gene Krantz all spoke very highly of Gus. All tried never to rank the astronauts but had repeatidly stated that Gus was the best man to be the first on the moon. His knowledge of the Gemini & Apollo control system was second to none having aided, first hand, with its design. Gus had spent a great deal of time at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (before NASA) dealing with Areo-Space electrical engineering issues. If these three men, trusted and revered Gus before his death then that is good enough for me.
Posted by James Blankenbaker on November 1,2010 | 07:06 AM