Virgil "Gus" Grissom born 1926

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.

Mercury-Redstone 4 launched 1961

Virgil 'Gus' Grissom was launched aboard Liberty Bell 7, a Mercury-Redstone 4 vehicle July 21, 1961, the second US spaceflight.  His flight lasted only 15 minutes and 30 seconds and reached an altitude of over 102 nautical miles. 

The Liberty Bell 7 had a new explosive hatch release to allow an astronaut to escape the spacecraft in the event of an emergency.  Grissom's flight went successfully until just after splashdown when the hatch accidentally blew, threatening to drown Grissom.  Fortunately, he was rescued safely but the capsule sank into the Atlantic Ocean.  It was recovered in 1999.

Gus Grissom launched in Liberty Bell 7, 1961

Virgil "Gus" Grissom became the second man in space July 21, 1961, when he took off in the Mercury-Redstone 4 spacecraft named Liberty Bell 7.  The flight lasted just over 15  minutes and went without problem until splashdown.  The hatch cover which was to be blown open in case of an emergency, accidentally blew off.  Grissom almost  drowned but was rescued.  The Liberty Bell 7 sank and was recovered in 1999.

Grissom passed away January 27, 1967 when a fire broke out on Apollo  1 during a pre-launch test.