On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck on launch pad 36 during a preflight test for Apollo 1. It was scheduled to be the first crewed flight of Apollo on Feb. 21, 1967. Trapped inside were Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee.
I went to LC-34 to take photos of the sun setting, where the concrete pad still stands, with a nearby blockhouse and two flame shields that can be seen. It was quiet, with only the sounds of the nearby waves crashing from the Atlantic Ocean. I assume the nearest person at Cape Canaveral Space Force (CCSFS) was at least a half-mile away working. After setting up my camera, I began looking at things around me when I heard someone talking. It sounded so real that I thought when I turned around, I would see someone standing there, but no soul was in sight. CCSFS closely monitors the area, and I knew nobody was coming from the water, as that would have been caught sooner than someone making it to land.
I continued to take photos, but I kept hearing a man's voice behind me, and I could not make out what was being said. I tried to communicate by introducing myself and saying I am sorry you lost your life here, but I respect your dedication to space exploration. You will never know what happened after I said that. It stopped!I think that it was possibly the spirit of one or all of the astronauts who lost there life there but then knew I love space exploration just as they have.
The weather was perfect, the sunset was beautiful, and being in a historic place was an honor. I stayed there for a few hours, enjoying the space and quiet. I was very drawn to being there, but not sure why. I know it was hard to leave, but I will return to say hello.
