This post concerns the January 27th, 1967 tragedy that ended the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee. I emphasize at the beginning that I am not certain this was a fake event, only suspicious. If indeed the deaths were real, it will come off as disrespectful of the families and friends, so I hope passage of 51 years allows me the latitude to write what follows.
I start with the premise that no human has ever walked on the surface of the moon. It is too far away for ordinary rocket technology, burdened as it is with heavy metal contraptions and the need to provide an atmosphere, food and waste facilities for humans on the the long journey. Then there is the trip (to and from) through the Van Allen Belt. In later missions, as if by osmosis, moon buggies appear on the surface. For them to be there, something else had to go – rocket boosters? Toilets? Water?
Piece of Mindful 