Apollo 1 Crew. Crew selected for the first manned Apollo flight onboard the Apollo Saturn 1B rocket. From left to right the astronauts are: Virgil I. Gus Grissom, Roger B. Chaffee and Edward H. White. This Apollo 1 crew was killed on 27 January 1967 during a routine simulated launch test on board the Apollo Saturn V rocket. An electrical short circuit caused a fired that engulfed the Apollo Command Module within seconds, killing all three crew members.