Virgil "Gus" Grissom, born April 3, 1926, was an astronaut in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs.
His first flight was aboard Mercury-Redstone 4, nicknamed the Liberty Bell 7 in July 1961. The flight lasted 15 minutes, 30 seconds and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. Explosive bolts on the hatch cover accidentally blew and the capsule sank. Grissom was in danger of drowning but was rescued by a US Navy helicopter.
His second flight was aboard Gemini III (nicknamed Molly Brown) with fellow astronaut John Young. They made three orbits and splashed down just under 5 hours later.
Grissom passed away January 27, 1967 in the Apollo 1 capsule during a routine launch test. A fire broke out inside the pure oxygen atmosphere, killing him and fellow astronauts Roger Chaffee and Ed White.
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