Apollo 1 Archive Exactly as Assembled by Clark McClelland in Original Notebook and Sleeves. Heartfelt Memorial in 50 Photos. Apollo 1 (initially designated as AS 204) was to be the first crewed flight of the Apollo program. Chosen for the inaugural flight were Command Pilot Gus Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White, and Pilot Roger Chaffee. But on January 27, 1967 a cabin fire broke out during a launch rehearsal test, killing all three crew members. The unimaginable tragedy and subsequent investigations as to the cause(s) dominated the news.
It is hard to convey just how deeply this disaster was felt by NASA employees and contractors. Clark McClelland over the years made an effort to acquire as many photos and documents which we have in a large lot in this auction. But in his collections, found was this green binder with photos he organized in a specific order. Goldberg Auctions felt it was appropriate to leave exactly as found. Also this volume contains the only photos we found of the two funerals at Arlington Cemetery, Grissom and Chaffe with Lyndon Johnson present and a vast presence of military and NASA personnel. (Ed White was buried at West Point.) Photos remain in their original sleeves, in a visually sequential order from training, to testing, images of the damage to capsule, portions of capsule interior being examined, congressional hearings, and the heavily attended funeral of Grissom and Chaffee. Photo album was well stored, the vintage original images in superior condition.
Estimated Value $600 - 900
The Clark C. McClelland Collection: A lifetime Dedicated to The Science and Exploration of Space. Signed Certificate of Sale included in each lot.
The Clark C. McClelland Collection
