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Background: SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON (UPI) -- THREE OFFICIAL AIRPLANES OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) LEFT MONDAY FROM ELLINGTON AIR FORCE BASE, BEARING FAMILIES AND FRIENDS TO THE BURIAL SERVICES FOR ASTRONAUT VIRGIL GRISSOM, EDWARD WHITE AND ROGER CHAFFEE.

AT THE SAME THE NEEDLE-NOSED T38 JET OF THE ASTRONAUTS STREAKED ONE-BY-ONE INTO THE SKY, CARRYING COMRADES OF THE APOLLO 1 CREW ON THE SAME SAD MISSION.

THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE TWIN-ENGINE GULFSTREAMS, ONE FOR EACH OF THE DEAD ASTRONAUTS' FAMILIES, DEPARTED FROM THE AIR BASE NEAR THE MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTRE SHORTLY AFTER 3 PM. M EST (2 P.M. CST).

TWELVE PASSENGERS WERE ABOARD EACH PLANE, INCLUDING THREE DOCTORS AND THE MINISTERS WHO DELIVERED MEMORIAL SERVICES NEAR THE SPACE CENTER FOR GRISSOM, WHITE AND CHAFFEE.

THE PLANE CARRYING WHITE'S FAMILY WAS TO ARRIVE AT STEWARD AFB, NEW YORK ABOUT 8 P.M. EST. WHITE WILL BE LAID TO REST WITH MILITARY HONORS TUESDAY AT HIS ALMA MATER, THE U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT.

MRS. GRISSOM AND MRS. CHAFFEE'S PLANES WERE TO LAND AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL-PAGE TERMINAL ABOUT 7:30 P.M. EST. THEIR HUSBANDS ARE TO BE BURIED IN MILITARY SERVICES AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY TUESDAY.

THE BODIES ON THE THREE ASTRONAUTS HAD BEEN FLOWN EARLIER MONDAY UNDER MILITARY ESCORT FROM CAPE KENNEDY, WHERE THEY WERE KILLED FRIDAY BY A FLASHY FIRE IN THEIR SPACECRAFT, TO THE SITES OF THEIR FINAL RESTING PLACES.

IN THE AIRPLANE WITH MRS. WHITE WERE HER DAUGHTER AND SON--BONNIE, 10, AND EDDIE, 13. ALSO ABOARD WERE WHITE'S FATHER AND MOTHER, GEN. AND MRS. EDWARD WHITE SR.; LT. JIM WHITE, THE ASTRONAUT BROTHERS; AND MRS. OPAL FINNEGAN, MRS. WHIT'S MOTHER.

FRIENDS AND NASA OFFICIALS INCLUDED ASTRONAUT JAMES MODIVITT, THE SPACEMAN ASSIGNED TO HELP WHITE'S FAMILY, AND HIS WIFE; GEORGE LOW, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE SPACE CENTER; THE REV. CONRAD WINSBORN OF SEABROOK METHODIST CHURCH AND DR. OWEN COONS OF THE SPACE CENTER MEDICAL STAFF.

WITH MRS. BETTY GRISSOM WERE HER SONS, MARK, 13 AND SCOTT, 16; HER HUSBAND'S FATHER AND MOTHER, MR. AND MRS. DENNIS GRISSOM; HER HUSBAND'S BROTHER AND SISTER, LOWELL GRISSOM AND WILMA BEAVERS; AND A CLOSE FRIEND OF THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE, MRS. ADELIN HAMMACK.

THE DIRECTOR OF THE SPACE CENTER, DR. ROBERT GILRUTH, FLEW WITH MRS. GRISSOM. ALSO ABOARD WERE ASTRONAUT WALTER SCHIRRA, HELPING THE GRISSOM FAMILY; DR. CHARLES BERRY, CHIEF ASTRONAUT PHYSICIAN; AND THE REV. ROY VAN TASSELL OF GRISSOM'S HOME TOWN, MITCHELL, IND.

MRS. CHAFFEE'S COMPANIONS WERE HER SON AND DAUGHTER---STEPHEN, 5, AND SHERYL, 8; HER HUSBANDS'S FATHER AND MOTHER, MR. AND MRS. DONALS CHAFFEE OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.; CHAFFEE'S SISTER, MRS. DONNA YOUNG; AND MRS. CHAFFEE'S MOTHER AND FATHER, MR. AN DMRS. HENRY HORN.

ASTRONAUT GENE CERNAN, HELPING THE CHAFFEE FAMILY, WAS ABOARD WITH HIS WIFE BARBARA, A CLOSE FRIEND OF MRS. CHAFFEE. SO WERE THE REV. ERNEST DIMALINE, WHO DELIVERED CHAFFEE'S MEMORIAL SERMON, AND DR. JACK DROESCHER OF THE SPACE CENTER MEDICAL STAFF.