[APOLLO PROGRAM]. VINTAGE NASA "RED NUMBER" APOLLO 1 CREW PORTRAIT — SIGNED BY GRISSOM AND WHITE

Vintage NASA color photograph, 8 by 10 inches, showing the prime Apollo 1 crew seated (White, Grissom, Chafee), and the back-up crew standing (Scott, McDivitt, Schweickart) in their blue jumpsuits, numbered in red in the top margin, with printed NASA press release text to verso, dated 1 April 1966. 

SIGNED by GUS GRISSOM and EDWARD H. WHITE Apollo 1 was the first mission in the manned lunar landing program, which was scheduled to launch on February 21, 1967. Tragedy struck during a launch rehearsal test on January 27th, with a cabin fire killing all three crew members and destroying the Command Module. Investigations later determined that the cause of the fire was electrical; it spread rapidly due to the high pressure, pure oxygen atmosphere of the cabin. Items signed by the crew are very rare.