# In Memory Still Fresh: Apollo 1

- Show: [EE Times Current](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current)
- Published: 2022-02-25
- Length: 26m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-25-in-memory-still-fresh-apollo-1
- Listen: https://www.eetimes.com/podcasts/wb-ep174/

## Summary

Matthew Beddingfield, grandson of James Gleaves, recounts the Apollo 1 fire through the eyes of his grandfather, a North American Aviation technician who fought to save the crew. The episode details the engineering failure of the plug-door hatch design, which prevented escape due to high internal pressure, and the subsequent forensic disassembly of the command module. It highlights the bravery of the ground crew who remained on the pad despite the risk, and the long-term emotional impact on Gleaves, who only recently shared his story.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-25-in-memory-still-fresh-apollo-1#t=0) Introduction: EE Times Weekly Briefing and Autonomous Driving Project
- [6:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-25-in-memory-still-fresh-apollo-1#t=399) Introduction: Matthew Beddingfield and James Gleaves
- [10:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-25-in-memory-still-fresh-apollo-1#t=655) The Night of the Fire: Plugs-Out Test and Initial Reaction
- [14:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-25-in-memory-still-fresh-apollo-1#t=848) The Pressure Vessel Rupture and Hatch Design Failure
- [18:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-25-in-memory-still-fresh-apollo-1#t=1135) Forensic Disassembly and Transport of the Command Module
- [24:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-25-in-memory-still-fresh-apollo-1#t=1443) Visiting the Apollo 204 Exhibit and Launch Complex 34

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- NASA (company)
- Apollo 1 (product)
- North American Aviation (company)
- James Gleaves (other)
- Matthew Beddingfield (other)
- Gus Grissom (other)
- Ed White (other)
- Roger Chaffee (other)
- Don Babbitt (other)
- Louis Cratolo (other)
- William Schick (other)
- L.D. Reese (other)
- Rocco Patron (other)
- Langley Research Facility (other)
- Kennedy Space Center (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep 213: Not your Grandfather's Grandfather Clock, the Engineering Behind Art, Hydrogen Powered Flight](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2023-04-07-ep-213-not-your-grandfathers-grandfather-clock-the-engineering-behind-art-hydrog) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [ValuJet 592 crashed in 1996 with 110 people aboard. We reconstruct the layered failure and what Perrow's normal accident theory says about why it happened.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2026-03-27-valujet-592-crashed-in-1996-with-110-people-aboard-we-reconstruct-the-layered-fa) (Go/No-Go)
- [Ep 248: Cthulhu Clock Radio Transharmonium, Thunderscan, and How to Fill Up in Space](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2023-12-15-ep-248-cthulhu-clock-radio-transharmonium-thunderscan-and-how-to-fill-up-in-spac) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep. 31 | NASA Astronauts Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins Talk Engineering at 17,000 mph](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-09-24-ep-31-nasa-astronauts-victor-glover-and-michael-hopkins-talk-engineering-at-17-0) (Moore's Lobby)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-25-in-memory-still-fresh-apollo-1. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to EE Times Current.