Roger B. Chaffee

Roger B. Chaffee
NASA astronaut
Nationality	American
Born	(1935-02-15)February 15, 1935 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Died	January 27, 1967(1967-01-27) (aged 31) Cape Kennedy, Florida, U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Other names	Roger Bruce Chaffee
Other occupation	Naval aviator
Alma mater	Illinois Tech Purdue University, B.S. 1957
Rank	Lieutenant Commander,  United States Navy
Selection	1963 NASA Group 3
Missions	Apollo 1
Mission insignia
Awards	Congressional Space Medal of Honor Air Medal (2)

Roger Bruce Chaffee (February 15, 1935 – January 27, 1967), (Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy), was an American naval officer and naval aviator, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut in the Apollo program.

He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he became an Eagle Scout. Chaffee graduated from Central High School in 1953 and accepted a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship. He began his college education at Illinois Institute of Technology, where he was also involved in the fraternity Phi Kappa Sigma. He transferred to Purdue University in the fall of 1954, where he continued his involvement in Phi Kappa Sigma and obtained his private pilot's license.

After graduating in 1957 from Purdue, Chaffee completed his Navy pre-commissioning training and was commissioned as an ensign. He soon began pilot training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, flying a variety of planes including the T-34, T-28, and A3D. Chaffee continued his career by earning the role of quality and safety control officer for Heavy Photographic Squadron 62 (VAP-62). His time in this unit included taking crucial photos of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, for which he was awarded the Air Medal.