"They know things most men can never dream about"

Fri, 01/24/2014 - 4:18pm by oldnews

On January 27, we remember the astronauts who gave their lives during the prelaunch testing for the first manned Apollo mission at Cape Canaveral in 1967. Edward Higgins White II, the first man to walk in space, died along with his fellow astronauts Virgil 'Gus" Grissom and Roger B. Chaffee.

Less than two years prior, the City of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan rolled out the red carpet to welcome and honor White and fellow Michigan grad James Alton McDivitt (often referred to as the Gemini Space Twins) in a day-long celebration and convocation.

Michigan's connection to the United States Aerospace Program also included another of the three astronauts lost in the tragic accident - Roger B. Chaffee who came from a prominent Grand Rapids family.