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It would be a more interesting article if it delved into the question of whether his claim can be believed. For example, did they ever verify a fault with the m

It would be a more interesting article if it delved into the question of whether his claim can be believed. For example, did they ever verify a fault with the mechanism such that the hatch could blow without pressing the plunger?

whartung 5y ago
It's a shame that the most prolific public view of Grissom is how he was portrayed in "The Right Stuff". His exasperation trying to describe it as a "glitch, a technical malfunction" in front of the unbelieving review board. Apparently, they did, indeed, later learn that the bolts "just blew". And, at least in part, because of that, the door on Apollo 1 did NOT have explosive bolts. If the bolts had worked properly on Mercury, then the bolts may have been in place on Apollo 1, and the crew and Gus Grissom may well still be alive today because of them. As the engineer said in "From the Earth to the Moon", where this was dramatized, "I've never been a fan of irony."
- leereeves 5y ago
  > Apparently, they did, indeed, later learn that the bolts "just blew". When the capsule was recovered in 1999, they found no burn marks on the remains of the bolts, suggesting, according to some, that "perhaps the explosive cord never detonated". I don't know, but it is interesting. 1: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-12-mn-43115-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-12-mn-43115...
  - cafard 5y ago
    Most interesting. Thank you.
- hinkley 5y ago
  It's worse than that. Because of that incident with his module, he was shifted in the astronaut rotation. If I understand that history properly, without the roster change, he would not have been on the Apollo 1 test crew at all, bolts or no bolts. Poor guy could not catch a break from NASA. (Also Fred Ward has not gotten anywhere near enough screen time)
- jtbayly 5y ago
  I've never even heard of the guy. I'm not criticizing him. I'm just criticizing the article. It raised a fascinating question and then gave 0 info about it. Just a short quote by the guy in question to close the article. I was listening to it on my phone and I thought the rest of the article had been skipped somehow when it ended there.

whartung 5y ago

It's a shame that the most prolific public view of Grissom is how he was portrayed in "The Right Stuff". His exasperation trying to describe it as a "glitch, a technical malfunction" in front of the unbelieving review board. Apparently, they did, indeed, later learn that the bolts "just blew". And, at least in part, because of that, the door on Apollo 1 did NOT have explosive bolts. If the bolts had worked properly on Mercury, then the bolts may have been in place on Apollo 1, and the crew and Gus Grissom may well still be alive today because of them. As the engineer said in "From the Earth to the Moon", where this was dramatized, "I've never been a fan of irony."

leereeves 5y ago
> Apparently, they did, indeed, later learn that the bolts "just blew". When the capsule was recovered in 1999, they found no burn marks on the remains of the bolts, suggesting, according to some, that "perhaps the explosive cord never detonated". I don't know, but it is interesting. 1: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-12-mn-43115-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-12-mn-43115...
- cafard 5y ago
  Most interesting. Thank you.
hinkley 5y ago
It's worse than that. Because of that incident with his module, he was shifted in the astronaut rotation. If I understand that history properly, without the roster change, he would not have been on the Apollo 1 test crew at all, bolts or no bolts. Poor guy could not catch a break from NASA. (Also Fred Ward has not gotten anywhere near enough screen time)
jtbayly 5y ago
I've never even heard of the guy. I'm not criticizing him. I'm just criticizing the article. It raised a fascinating question and then gave 0 info about it. Just a short quote by the guy in question to close the article. I was listening to it on my phone and I thought the rest of the article had been skipped somehow when it ended there.