Gus Grissom's Mercury capsule sank in an ocean landing in July 1961, after an explosion blew the escape hatch off prematurely. He swam from the capsule safely.
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When space travel goes wrong —
Three U.S. astronauts, including Gus Grissom, were killed by a fire in January 1967 during a launch rehearsal for the Apollo 1 mission.
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When space travel goes wrong —
Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov was killed in April 1967 while returning from a successful Soyuz 1 orbit of Earth when the main parachute fails to open.
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When space travel goes wrong —
The U.S. lunar mission Apollo 13 in April 1970 lost the use of an oxygen tank necessary to supply air and power. The three-man crew successfully used the lunar module shown as a lifeboat.
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When space travel goes wrong —
Three Soviet cosmonauts were found dead in their Soyuz 11 spacecraft after an apparently normal landing in June 1971.
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When space travel goes wrong —
Seven crew members aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger were killed in January 1986 when the spacecraft exploded shortly after takeoff.
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When space travel goes wrong —
This photo taken from Chinese television in January 1995 shows a Chinese Long March rocket exploding above its launchpad, killing six people and injuring 23 others.
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When space travel goes wrong —
During a June 1997 docking exercise, an unmanned cargo vessel crashed into Mir, disrupting the station's power supply and partially depressurizing the living quarters.
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When space travel goes wrong —
Investigators inspect debris from the space shuttle Columbia, which broke up over East Texas in February 2003. Seven astronauts were killed.
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When space travel goes wrong —
Water pooled inside the suit and helmet of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station in July 2013. He made it back to the airlock unharmed.