Astronaut Profile
Gus Grissom
Pilot
Gus Grissom piloted Liberty Bell 7 on the second American suborbital flight and later commanded the first crewed Gemini mission before his death in the Apollo 1 fire.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Pilot • Deceased
Biography
The person behind the mission
Virgil 'Gus' Grissom was a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts. He piloted Liberty Bell 7 on July 21, 1961, becoming the second American in space, though the capsule's hatch blew open prematurely after splashdown and Grissom narrowly avoided drowning as the spacecraft sank. He went on to command Gemini 3, the first crewed Gemini flight, in 1965. Grissom was selected to command Apollo 1, but he and crewmates Ed White and Roger Chaffee were killed in a cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27, 1967.
Astronaut Details
Born
April 3, 1926
Died
January 27, 1967
Birthplace
Mitchell, Indiana, USA
Role
Pilot
Program
Mercury
Time in Space
5 hours, 8 minutes
Missions
Liberty Bell 7, Gemini 3, Apollo 1 (command, did not fly)
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Congressional Space Medal of Honor
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross