Roger B. Chaffee letter and postcard
Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSA 282
Scope and Contents
The letter dated July 24, 1965 is from Roger Chaffee to his parents. On the reverse is a July 25, 1965 note from Martha Chaffee to her in-laws in which she signs, "Roger, Martha, Sheryl and Steve." In the letter, Roger discussed an upcoming flight and the astronaut's rotation as capsule communicator (CAPCOM). He mentions Gus Grissom, Gene Cernan, Jim McDivitt, Buzz Aldrin and Dave Scott. Both Roger and Martha discuss recent family activities at home. The postcard, dated July 1965, was sent by Roger from Iceland to his parents.
Dates
- 1967
Creator
- Chaffee, Roger B., 1935-1967 (Person)
Language of Materials
Collection material is in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Copyright Use Information
Copyright held by Purdue University per auction purchase.
Biographical Information
Roger B. Chaffee was born February 15, 1935 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Chaffee graduated from Central High School, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering, Purdue University in 1957. While at Purdue University, he was a member of Tau Beta Pi, National Engineering Society, Sigma Gamma Tau, and Phi Kappa Sigma.
Chaffee entered the Navy in 1957 as a United States Navy Lieutenant Commander. He served as safety officer and quality control officer for Heavy Photographic Squadron 62 at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. In January 1963, he entered the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to work on a Master of Science Degree in Reliability Engineering. He logged more than 2,300 hours flying time, which included more than 2,000 hours in jet aircraft. Chaffee was awarded the United States Navy Air Medal.
Chaffee was one of the third groups of astronauts selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in October 1963. In addition to participating in the overall training program, he was also tasked with working on flight control communications systems, instrumentation systems, and attitude and translation control systems in the Apollo Branch of the Astronaut office. On March 21, 1966, he was selected as one of the pilots for the AS-204 mission, the first three-man Apollo flight.
Lieutenant Commander Chaffee died on January 27, 1967, in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire during a launch pad test at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
He was quoted in the New York Times, "You'll be flying along some nights with a full moon. You're up at 45,000 feet. Up there you can see like you can't see it down here. It's just the big, bright, clear moon. You look up there and just say to yourself: I've got to get up there. I've got to get up there. I've just got to get one of those flights."
Chaffee entered the Navy in 1957 as a United States Navy Lieutenant Commander. He served as safety officer and quality control officer for Heavy Photographic Squadron 62 at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. In January 1963, he entered the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to work on a Master of Science Degree in Reliability Engineering. He logged more than 2,300 hours flying time, which included more than 2,000 hours in jet aircraft. Chaffee was awarded the United States Navy Air Medal.
Chaffee was one of the third groups of astronauts selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in October 1963. In addition to participating in the overall training program, he was also tasked with working on flight control communications systems, instrumentation systems, and attitude and translation control systems in the Apollo Branch of the Astronaut office. On March 21, 1966, he was selected as one of the pilots for the AS-204 mission, the first three-man Apollo flight.
Lieutenant Commander Chaffee died on January 27, 1967, in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire during a launch pad test at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
He was quoted in the New York Times, "You'll be flying along some nights with a full moon. You're up at 45,000 feet. Up there you can see like you can't see it down here. It's just the big, bright, clear moon. You look up there and just say to yourself: I've got to get up there. I've got to get up there. I've just got to get one of those flights."
Extent
0.182 Cubic Feet (One letter-size half-width manuscript box)
Acquisition Information
Auction purchase 2013.
Processing Information
The letter and postcard have been housed in polyester sleeves, acid-free folders, and an acid-free box for peservation purposes.
- Aeronautics
- Aerospace engineering
- Astronauts
- Correspondence
- Letters (Correspondence)
- Picture postcards
- Project Apollo (U.S.)
- Purdue University -- Alumni and alumnae
- Purdue University--Students
- Space flights
- United States. Department of the Navy
- United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Creator
- Chaffee, Roger B., 1935-1967 (Person)
- Title
- Roger B. Chaffee letter and postcard
- Status
- Under Review
- Author
- Mary A. Sego
- Date
- 2019-08-13
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
- Edition statement
- Second edition. Collection description first completed 2014-02-06.
Repository Details
Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository
Contact:
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839
archives@purdue.edu
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839
archives@purdue.edu