The document provides background information on the Apollo program and its first mission, Apollo 1. The primary goals of the Apollo program were to beat the Soviet Union to the Moon and establish American superiority in space. The three astronauts of Apollo 1, Virgil Grissom, Edward Higgins, and Roger Chaffee, tragically died in a pre-flight fire in their command module during a test on January 27, 1967, just weeks before their planned launch. The investigation into the fire led to improvements before subsequent Apollo missions.