The lemon that went unnoticed in the film “Send Me to the Moon” was a foreshadowing of the Apollo 1 tragedy.

Fly with me to the moon revolves around Apollo 11 launchwhich first put humans on the moon. However, it also focuses on what happened in Apollo 1. From disaster to success. Cole Davis, a fictional character played by Channing Tatum, feels guilty about the crash that killed three astronauts. There is talk of human error that caused the fatal accident, but no details are given. However, link to lemon what may go unnoticed during the film provides clues to what really happened.

One of the senators who must approve the launch of Apollo 11 makes it a condition that Davis give a television interview. He does so reluctantly, on the condition that he not mention Apollo 1. But they do. That’s when the reference is made to Grissom lemon. “Grissom even hung a lemon in the cabin.”

It’s one of the phrases that infuriates Davis. But who was Grissom and what does the lemon mean? The clue lies in a popular American expression and in the failures of Apollo 1, which They have already predicted what might happen.

Grissom, White and Chaffee were the victims of Apollo 1.

Three members of the Apollo 1 crew were Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger ChaffeeTheir mission was not to fly to the moon, as they would do later. Armstrong, Aldrin and CollinsDuring the first phase of the mission, they will only need to conduct a series of orbital tests to check the operation of the software and other technologies that will be used later for the first flight to the satellite.

Grissom, White, and Chaffee all had the opportunity to closely monitor the development of the craft that would take them into space, but he was the first, perhaps because he was the most senior and soon became distrusted. It should be noted that Virgil Grissom was the second American in space. He was very knowledgeable about the technology needed to get people off Earth, and he knew that Apollo 1 had many shortcomings. He warned of several design flaws, and even in an interview, when asked what he thought Apollo 1 would do, he even said that it would be enough to get him and his companions back. home alive.

It was a bad omen that accompanied placing a lemon in a ship’s cabinIn the United States, when a new car leaves the factory with a lot of bugs, it is colloquially called a lemon. So with this seemingly simple gesture, Grissom complained about all the bugs he had found on the ship.

He and other veteran astronauts, as well as some engineers, warned of the possible presence faulty wiringas well as bad software and leaky valves. Some of these bugs have been fixed, but clearly not enough.

The string of mistakes that plagued Cole Davis Fly with me to the moon

Cole Davis didn’t exist in real life. However, as the Apollo mission director, he represents all of these leaders who at the time regretted not having inspected the ship properly.

In addition to all the mistakes mentioned, two decisions contributed to the Apollo 1 tragedy. First, the company that manufactured the spacecraft. North American Aviationhe wanted to place it in the command module in which the astronauts would fly single hatch with explosive bolts. This is a type of propeller attached to a small pyrotechnic charge placed near the blast zone so that a little push Activate the charge and open the hatch in one go.

NASA was concerned that this hatch was not secure enough and could open in space. For this reason, it was decided to install an internal hatch made of several parts, which automatically seals when the cabin is sealed. It would be much more difficult to open by accident, but it would also be difficult to open in an emergency.

On the other hand, it was technically difficult to create an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere inside the cabin similar to the Earth’s, so it was decided to create one of pure oxygen, much easier to obtain. The problem was that oxygen is highly flammable, so the slightest spark could quickly start a fire.

5 Minutes of Apollo 1 Terror

IN Fly with me to the moonDavis has nightmares about a rapid sequence of events that happened January 27, 1967. It is completely real, and the nightmare that the Apollo 1 astronauts experienced surpasses anything that can be imagined in fiction.

The Apollo 1 flight was scheduled for February 21. It was just a test run on the launch pad. Grissom is said to have sensed something was wrong before entering the hut. He smelled a strange smell.like sour milk. However, gas tests showed that there was no leak.

The astronauts, dressed in the spacesuits they would wear in a month, entered the command module. The hatches were closed and pure oxygen was pumped in as the pressure rose slightly above atmospheric pressure. The tests began, in which the astronauts had to communicate with other astronauts who would send instructions from Earth. However, the communications began to fail. Grissom complained and asked how they were going to travel in space if they couldn’t communicate with anyone even a few buildings away. He was clearly uncomfortable. I let him see this, along with the lemon they mentioned in Fly with me to the moonBut the terror was unleashed by one word from Chaffee: “Fire!”Then, due to a sigh from the youngest of the astronauts, the connection was interrupted.

Technicians on the launch pad saw White through the windows trying to open the hatches, but he couldn’t. They came over to try from the side, but it was difficult. It was perfectly sealed. It took 5 minutes when entering, as Chaffee’s scream was heard. By that time, all three crew members had already died. Autopsies showed that the burns they had received were not fatal. They had all died of asphyxiation.

What exactly happened?

Tests of what remained of the command module showed it may have started with a fire under Grissom’s footrest, caused by bad insulated cableThis, coupled with the pure oxygen atmosphere and high cabin pressure, quickly led to a deadly fire.

The learning we see in Fly with me to the moon

IN Fly with me to the moon It is clear that the American population has become resistant to anything related to the Apollo program. Because of the political problems the country was going through, many people considered the desire to go to the moon pretentious. But also, the memories of Apollo 1 gave rise to logical fear in society.

Those responsible for the program were well aware that this was all due to a series of human errors, so they worked hard to eliminate them. All planned dates were postponed and painstaking work was done to avoid what happened on Apollo 1.

A new cabin was manufactured single hatch which could be opened with a slight push. The atmosphere of pure oxygen was replaced by another, consisting of oxygen and nitrogenAnd in general, the wiring, software and other technical requirements were studied in detail to ensure that everything went well.

Thanks to this, in real life, as in the film, three other astronauts were able to fly to the moon and return home safely. What happened to his colleagues just two years ago was a tragedy that will forever remain in the memory of NASA and The whole society. This is why, even though the Moon could have been visited several more times, NASA delayed the decision to return for decades to make sure it was even safer. There is much more technological knowledge and methods to study the terrain without having to send people there. If people are going to return to the Moon, they should do so as safely as possible. We don’t want to have more Apollo 1s in our memories.