Apollo 1 Hills in Martian Gusev Crater Honor Three Apollo Astronauts

Summary: Three hills in Gusev Crater in the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle honor three Apollo 1 astronauts who died in 1967 a pre-launch test.

Westward-looking image obtained by Mars robotic rover Spirit's Panoramic Camera (PanCam) depicts three hills honoring Apollo 1 fallen astronauts Command Pilot Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward "Ed" Higgins White II and Pilot Roger Bruce Chaffee; Chaffee Hill (first left), Grissom Hill (second left) and White Hill (right) lie, respectively, 14.3 kilometers (8.9 miles) south-southwest, 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) southwest and 11.2 kilometers (7 miles) northwest of Spirit's landing site: image credit JPL/NASA/Cornell; image addition date 2004-01-27: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal

Three hills lying in Gusev Crater in the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle honor three Apollo 1 astronauts who died in a fire in Apollo One command and service module 12 (CSM-012) during a pre-launch test on Friday, Jan. 27, 1967.

Three hills comprising part of the panoramic view from the site where Spirit settled during the Mars robotic rover's landing Friday, Jan. 3, 2003, have been named in honor of Apollo 1 fallen astronauts Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (April 3, 1926-Jan. 27, 1967), Senior Pilot Edward "Ed" Higgins White II (Nov. 14, 1930-Jan. 27, 1967) and Pilot Roger Bruce Chaffee (Feb. 15, 1935-Jan. 27, 1967), according to a press release dated Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004, by D.C. (David C.) Agle and Donald Savage. After initially bouncing to a height of 8.4 meters (27.6 feet), Spirit's lander experienced 27 more bounces before rolling to a stop about 250 to 300 meters (270 to 330 yards) from its first impact. The robotic rover settled at minus 14.57 degrees south latitude, 175.47 degrees east longitude (pages 3-4), according to "Mars Exploration Rover," published as NASA Facts by NASA's Pasadena, California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee perished during a fire that flashed through Apollo One command and service module 12 (CSM-012) during a pre-launch test that was being conducted Friday, Jan. 27, 1967. Exactly 37 years after the tragic event, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) honored the three fallen Apollo 1 astronauts by naming three Martian hills west of Mars robotic rover Spirit's landing site in Gusev Crater after them.

Image obtained by robotic space probe Mars Global Surveyor's (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) shows the three Apollo 1 Hills in relation to site (minus 14.57 degrees south latitude, 175.47 degrees east longitude) where Mars robotic rover Spirit settled after landing Friday, Jan. 3, 2003, at 8:35 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (NASA Facts: Mars Exploration Rover, pages 3-4): image credit JPL/NASA/Cornell; image addition date 2004-01-27: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal

"Through recorded history explorers have had both the honor and responsibility of naming significant landmarks," 10th NASA Administrator (Dec. 21, 2001-Dec. 13, 2004) Sean Charles O'Keefe (born Jan. 27, 1956) observed in his announcement of the named Martian hills. "Gus, Ed and Roger's contributions, as much as their sacrifice, helped make our giant leap for mankind possible. Today, as America strides towards our next giant leap, NASA and the Mars Exploration Rover team created a fitting tribute to these brave explorers and their legacy."

Gusev Crater is centered at minus 14.53 degrees south latitude, 175.52 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The large impact crater draws its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 13.20 degrees south and minus 15.86 degrees south, respectively. It pinpoints its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 176.91 degrees east and 174.15 degrees east, respectively. Gusev Crater's diameter measures 158.12 kilometers.

Gusev Crater is situated in the southeastern quadrant of the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has designated the Aeolis quadrangle as Mars Chart 23 (MC-23) of the agency's 30 cartographic representations of Martian pole-to-pole topography. The Aeolis quadrangle covers the Martian surface latitudinally from zero degrees to minus 30 degrees south and longitudinally from 180 degrees west to 225 degrees west (180 degrees east to 135 degrees east).

Image obtained by robotic space probe Mars Global Surveyor's (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) shows the seven Columbia Hills in relation to site (minus 14.57 degrees south latitude, 175.47 degrees east longitude) where Mars robotic rover Spirit settled after landing Friday, Jan. 3, 2003, at 8:35 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (NASA Facts: Mars Exploration Rover, pages 3-4): image credit NASA/JPL/Cornell; image addition date 2004-02-02: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal

On Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, six days after NASA's announcement about memorializing the three Apollo 1 fallen astronauts via three hills in Gusev Crater, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe revealed a similar commemoration for seven fallen Columbia astronauts. Commander Richard "Rick" Douglas Husband (July 12, 1957-Feb. 1, 2003), Pilot William "Willie" Cameron McCool (born William Cameron Graham; Sep. 23, 1961-Feb. 1, 2003), Payload Commander Michael Phillip Anderson (Dec. 25, 1959-Feb. 1, 2003), Mission Specialist 1 David McDowell Brown (April 16, 1956-Feb. 1, 2003), Mission Specialist 2 Kalpana "K.C." Chawla (March 17, 1962-Feb. 1, 2003), Mission Specialist 4 Laurel Blair Salton Clark (March 10, 1961-Feb. 1, 2003) and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon (born Ilan Wolferman; June 20, 1954-Feb 1, 2003) perished during the Columbia STS-107 mission's Earth re-entry on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003.

"These seven hills on Mars are named for those seven brave souls, the final crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The Columbia crew faced the challenge of space and made the supreme sacrifice in the name of exploration," Administrator O'Keefe announced. The Columbia commemoration was reported by D.C. (David C.) Agle and Donald Savage in "NASA Dedicates Mars Landmarks to Columbia Crew," published Feb. 2, 2004, on the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) website.

The seven Columbia Hills are sited east of Spirit's landing site in Gusev Crater, according to "PIA05200: NASA Dedicates Mars Landmarks to Columbia Crew," published on the NASA JPL Photojournal website. The seven Columbia Hills observe an alphabetical arrangement. As the most northeasterly occupier, Anderson Hill lies 3 kilometers from the landing site. Brown Hill and Chawla Hill are sited at a distance of 2.9 kilometers. Three kilometers separate Clark Hill from Spirit's landing site. Husband Hill and McCool Hill are distanced from the site by 3.1 and 4.2 kilometers, respectively. As the most southeasterly Columbia Hill, Ramon Hill is found at a distance of 4.4 kilometers from Spirit's landing site.

(left to right) Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward "Ed" White and Roger Chaffee, named March 21, 1966, as prime crew for NASA's first manned Apollo Space Flight, depicted during training in Florida; NASA ID S67-19770; image created Monday, Dec. 12, 1966: Not subject to copyright, via NASA Image and Video Library

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Westward-looking image obtained by Mars robotic rover Spirit's Panoramic Camera (PanCam) depicts three hills honoring Apollo 1 fallen astronauts Command Pilot Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward "Ed" Higgins White II and Pilot Roger Bruce Chaffee; Chaffee Hill (first left), Grissom Hill (second left) and White Hill (right) lie, respectively, 14.3 kilometers (8.9 miles) south-southwest, 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) southwest and 11.2 kilometers (7 miles) northwest of Spirit's landing site: image credit JPL/NASA/Cornell; image addition date 2004-01-27: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00414

Image obtained by robotic space probe Mars Global Surveyor's (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) shows the three Apollo 1 Hills in relation to site (minus 14.57 degrees south latitude, 175.47 degrees east longitude) where Mars robotic rover Spirit settled after landing Friday, Jan. 3, 2003, at 8:35 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (NASA Facts: Mars Exploration Rover, pages 3-4): image credit JPL/NASA/Cornell; image addition date 2004-01-27: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05155

Image obtained by robotic space probe Mars Global Surveyor's (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) shows the seven Columbia Hills in relation to site (minus 14.57 degrees south latitude, 175.47 degrees east longitude) where Mars robotic rover Spirit settled after landing Friday, Jan. 3, 2003, at 8:35 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (NASA Facts: Mars Exploration Rover, pages 3-4): image credit NASA/JPL/Cornell; image addition date 2004-02-02: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05200

(left to right) Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward "Ed" White and Roger Chaffee, named March 21, 1966, as prime crew for NASA's first manned Apollo Space Flight, depicted during training in Florida; NASA ID S67-19770; image created Monday, Dec. 12, 1966: Not subject to copyright, via NASA Image and Video Library @ https://images.nasa.gov/details/S67-19770

For further information:

Agle, D.C. (David C.); and Donald Savage. "Martian Landmarks Dedicated to Apollo 1 Crew." NASA Science Mars Exploration > Mars Exploration Rovers MER > News > Newsroom > Press Releases. Jan. 27, 2004.
Available @ https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/newsroom/pressreleases/20040127b.html

Agle, D.C. (David C.): and Donald Savage. "NASA Dedicates Mars Landmarks to Columbia Crew." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory > News > Solar System. Feb. 2, 2004.
Available @ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-dedicates-mars-landmarks-to-columbia-crew

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Gusev.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:58 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/Gusev

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA05155: NASA Dedicates Martian Landmarks To Apollo 1 Crew." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: JPL/NASA/Cornell. Image Addition Date: 2004-01-27.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05155

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA05200: NASA Dedicates Mars Landmarks to Columbia Crew." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell. Image Addition Date: 2004-02-02.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05200

Marriner, Derdriu. "Gusev Crater in Southern Mars Honors Russian Astronomer Matvey Gusev." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/04/gusev-crater-in-southern-mars-honors.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Hills in Martian Columbia Hills Honor Seven Astronauts Who Died in 2003." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/05/hills-in-martian-columbia-hills-honor.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Ilan Ramon Had Moon Landscape Drawing by Petr Ginz on Columbia Shuttle." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/01/ilan-ramon-had-moon-landscape-drawing.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Lunar Chawla Crater Honors Columbia Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/02/lunar-chawla-crater-honors-columbia.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Lunar D. Brown Crater Honors Columbia Mission Specialist David Brown." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/02/lunar-d-brown-crater-honors-columbia.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Lunar Far Side Husband Crater Honors Columbia Commander Rick Husband." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/01/lunar-far-side-husband-crater-honors.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Lunar Far Side McCool Crater Honors Columbia Pilot William McCool." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/01/lunar-far-side-mccool-crater-honors.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Lunar Far Side Ramon Crater Honors First Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024.
Available @

Marriner, Derdriu. "Lunar L. Clark Crater Honors Columbia Mission Specialist Laurel Clark." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/02/lunar-l-clark-crater-honors-columbia.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "M. Anderson Crater Honors Columbia Payload Commander Michael Anderson." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/02/m-anderson-crater-honors-columbia.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "NASA Tags Mars Rover Spirit's Landing Site as Columbia Memorial Station." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/05/nasa-tags-mars-rover-spirits-landing.html

NASA Announcement. "Martian landmarks dedicated to Apollo 1 crew." Spaceflight Now > Mars News Archive > Mars Exploration Rovers. Posted Jan. 27, 2004.
Available via Spaceflight Now @ https://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/040127apollohills.html

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Mars Exploration Rover." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA Facts.
Available @ https://d2pn8kiwq2w21t.cloudfront.net/documents/mars03rovers_t6lfTK7.pdf