GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) --Today marks 49 years since the death of West Michigan native and astronaut Roger B. Chaffee.
He was assigned to work with the crew of the Apollo 1 mission in the mid 1960's. On Jan. 27, 1967, Chaffee and two other astronauts died during a pre-launch test when a fire broke out in the cabin.
Chaffee was 31 years old.
The planetarium at the Grand Rapids Public Museum is named for him, as is the Roger B. Chaffee Memorial Drive, which located in Wyoming at the location of the original Kent County Airport.