a01_v_bw_o_n (S-66-58038)

“APOLLO 204 CREW TESTS -- Prime crew for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s first manned Apollo mission (204) prepare to enter their spacecraft inside the altitude chamber at the Kennedy Space Center. Entering the hatch is Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom, commander. Behind him is Astronaut Roger B. Chaffee. Standing at left with chamber technicians is astronaut Edward H. White II.”

 

 

JANUARY 27, 1967

 

 

Compare/contrast with the caption associated with the linked color image below:

 

“The Apollo 1 prime crewmembers for the first crewed Apollo Mission (AS-204) prepare to enter their spacecraft inside the altitude chamber at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Entering the hatch is astronaut Virgil I. Grissom, commander; behind him is astronaut Roger B. Chaffee, pilot; standing at the left with chamber technicians is astronaut Edward H. White II, senior pilot.”

 

The reason for the obvious difference:

 

“In the spring of 1967, NASA's Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, Dr. George E. Mueller, announced that the mission originally scheduled for Grissom, White and Chaffee would be known as Apollo 1, and said that the first Saturn V launch, scheduled for November 1967, would be known as Apollo 4. The eventual launch of AS-204 became known as the Apollo 5 mission. No missions or flights were ever designated Apollo 2 or 3.”

 

At:

 

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo1.html

 

Additionally, in-depth, highly informative Apollo numbering convention discussion available at the following:

 

www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum29/HTML/000909.html

Credit: collectSPACE website

 

Finally, although I can find nothing to support it, I believe the gentleman between White & Chaffee is suit technician Joe Schmitt, who passed away September 25, 2017 at the age of 101:

 

historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/o...

 

REST IN PEACE ALL. THANK YOU.

Done