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Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
Gus Grissom
NASA Astronaut
Nationality American
Status Killed during a training exercise and test in Florida
Born April 3, 1926(1926-04-03)
Mitchell, Indiana
Died January 27, 1967 (aged 40)
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Other occupation Test pilot
Rank Lieutenant Colonel, USAF
Space time 5h 7m
Selection 1959 NASA Group
Missions Mercury-Redstone 4, Gemini 3, Apollo 1
Mission
insignia

Virgil Ivan Grissom, more widely known as Gus Grissom, (3 April 1926 – 27 January 1967) was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mitchell is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Cape Canaveral from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County Florida, United States, near the center of that Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Test pilots are Aviators who fly new and modified Aircraft in specific maneuvers allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated Please see " Lieutenant Colonel " for other countries which use this rank In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps 1957 - Man In Space Soonest Group 1 - USA Neil A Armstrong, Albert S Mercury-Redstone 4 was a Mercury program Manned space mission launched on July 21, 1961 using a Redstone rocket. Gemini 3 was a 1965 manned space flight in NASA 's Gemini program. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program An astronaut or cosmonaut (космона́вт) is a person trained He was the second American to fly in space. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Grissom was killed along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee during a training exercise and pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at the Kennedy Space Center. Edward Higgins White II (LtCol, USAF ( November 14, 1930  &ndash January 27, 1967) was a United States Air Force officer and Roger Bruce Chaffee ( February 15, 1935 – January 27, 1967) was a U The John F Kennedy Space Center ( KSC) is the NASA Space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center ( Spaceport) on He was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and, posthumously, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress in 1969 to recognize "any Astronaut who in the performance of his duties has

Contents

Background

Grissom was born in Mitchell, Indiana. Mitchell is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. As a child he attended the local Church of Christ and became a lifelong member. Grissom graduated from Mitchell High School and in 1950 earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, then enlisted in the United States Air Force. Mitchell High School is a small public High school located in Mitchell Indiana. A Bachelor of Science ( BS, BSc or BSc in the UK; less commonly S He married Betty Moore Grissom and they had two children, Scott and Mark. Grissom was a master Mason and member of Mitchell Lodge 228.

Military pilot

USAF F-86-01 similar to the aircraft Grissom flew in Korea.
USAF F-86-01 similar to the aircraft Grissom flew in Korea. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Grissom received his pilot wings in March 1951. US Air Force aeronautical ratings are military aviation skill standards established and awarded by the United States Air Force for commissioned officers participating in aerial His first assignment was in Korea as an F-86 replacement pilot with the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The 4th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle wing based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Grissom flew 100 combat missions during the Korean conflict with the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the After returning from Korea he served as an instructor pilot at Bryan AFB in Bryan, Texas. campus of Texas A&M University, also known as Aggieland, is situated in College Station, Texas, USA. Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census the city had a total population of 65660 [1] In August 1955 Grissom entered the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio to study aeronautical engineering. The Air Force Institute of Technology ( AFIT) is a Graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education that is part of the United States Air Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Greene and Montgomery counties eight miles (13 km) northeast of [1] In October 1956 he entered the test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base, California and returned to Wright-Patterson in May 1957 as a test pilot assigned to the fighter branch. Test pilots are Aviators who fly new and modified Aircraft in specific maneuvers allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County California in the Antelope [1][2]

Astronaut

The Project Mercury astronauts with a model of an Atlas rocket, 12 July 1962.
The Project Mercury astronauts with a model of an Atlas rocket, 12 July 1962. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

As an Air Force captain in 1959 Grissom underwent a series of physical and psychological tests and was then chosen as one of the seven Project Mercury astronauts. [3]

Liberty Bell 7

Grissom in front of the Liberty Bell 7 capsule.
Grissom in front of the Liberty Bell 7 capsule.

Grissom was pilot of Mercury-Redstone 4, popularly known as Liberty Bell 7, the second American (suborbital) spaceflight. Mercury-Redstone 4 was a Mercury program Manned space mission launched on July 21, 1961 using a Redstone rocket. A sub-orbital spaceflight (or sub-orbital flight is a Spaceflight in which the Spacecraft reaches space, but its Trajectory intersects After splashdown explosive bolts blew the hatch off unexpectedly and water flooded into the tiny capsule. Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by Parachute in a body of water Grissom exited through the open hatch and into the ocean but nearly drowned as water filled his flightsuit whilst a helicopter tried to lift and recover the spacecraft. However, the capsule had become too heavy with water and sank. Grissom strongly asserted he had done nothing to blow the hatch and NASA officials eventually agreed with him. Initiating the explosive egress system required hitting a metal trigger with the side of a closed fist. This was later shown to leave a big bruise but Grissom did not have one. The capsule was recovered in 1999 but no evidence was found which could explain how the hatch opened on its own. Years after, Guenter Wendt (who was pad leader for the early American manned space launches) wrote he believed a small cover over the external release actuator was accidentally lost sometime during the flight or splashdown and the T-handle may have been tugged by a stray parachute shroud line, or was perhaps damaged by the heat of re-entry, cooled upon splashdown, contracted and then fired. Günter F Wendt (b August 28 1924 in Berlin) is a German-American engineer noted for his work in the U [4]

Gemini 3

In early 1964 Alan Shepard was grounded after being diagnosed with Ménière's disease and Grissom was designated command pilot for Gemini 3, the first manned Project Gemini flight. Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr (November 18 1923 &ndash July 21 1998 ( Rear Admiral, USN Ret Ménière's disease (meɪnˈyɛərz is a disorder of the Inner ear that can affect hearing and Balance. Gemini 3 was a 1965 manned space flight in NASA 's Gemini program. Team The Gemini program was managed by the Manned Spacecraft Center Houston Texas under direction of the Office of Manned Space Flight NASA Headquarters Washington This mission would make him the first astronaut to fly twice beyond the accepted boundary of space. Grissom was one of the smaller-sized astronauts and he worked very closely with the engineers and technicians from McDonnell Aircraft who built the Gemini capsule. The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American Aerospace manufacturer based in St The first three spacecraft were built around him and the design was humorously named the Gusmobile. However by July 1963 NASA discovered 14 out of the 16 astronauts could not fit themselves into the cabin and later cockpits were modified. [5] During this time Grissom innovated a multi-axis joystick for controlling the maneuvering thrusters with one hand. A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling

Naming of the Molly Brown

Gemini 3 mission patch design.
Gemini 3 mission patch design. Gemini 3 was a 1965 manned space flight in NASA 's Gemini program.

In a joking nod to the sinking of his Mercury craft Grissom named the first Gemini capsule the Molly Brown after the popular Broadway show The Unsinkable Molly Brown but NASA publicity officials were unhappy with this name. Margaret Brown, born Margaret Tobin ( July 18, 1867 &ndash October 26, 1932) more widely known as Maggie Brown or The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a musical with music and lyrics by Meredith Willson and book by Richard Morris. When Grissom and Young were ordered to come up with a new one they offered The Titanic. Aghast, NASA executives gave in and allowed the name Molly Brown but didn't use it in any official references. Subsequently and much to the agency's chagrin, on launch CAPCOM Gordon Cooper gave Gemini 3 its sendoff by saying over the uplink, "You're on your way, Molly Brown!" and ground controllers used this name throughout the flight. For the original NASA meaning see capsule communicator. is a leading Japanese International developer Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr, also noted as Gordo Cooper, ( 6 March 1927 – 4 October 2004) was an American Astronaut Gemini 3 was a 1965 manned space flight in NASA 's Gemini program.

After the safe return of Gemini 3 NASA announced new spacecraft would not be named. Gemini 3 was a 1965 manned space flight in NASA 's Gemini program. Hence Gemini IV was not named American Eagle as planned. Gemini 4 (officially Gemini IV) was a June 1965 Manned space flight in NASA 's Gemini program. The naming of spacecraft resumed in 1967 after managers found the Apollo flights needed a name for each of two flight elements, the command module and lunar module. Lobbying by the astronauts and senior NASA administrators also had an effect. Apollo 9 had the callsigns Gumdrop for the command module and Spider for the lunar module. However, Wally Schirra had been prevented from naming his Apollo 7 spacecraft the Phoenix in honor of Grissom's Apollo 1 crew since it was believed the average taxpayer would not take a fire metaphor as intended. Walter Marty Schirra Jr ( March 12, 1923 &ndash May 3, 2007) was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project

Death

Apollo 1 crew, Grissom, White and Chaffee
Apollo 1 crew, Grissom, White and Chaffee
Apollo I mission patch design
Apollo I mission patch design

Grissom was backup command pilot for Gemini 6 when he shifted to the Apollo program and was assigned as commander of AS-204, which was meant to be the first manned Apollo flight. Gemini 6A (officially Gemini VI-A) was a 1965 manned spaceflight in NASA 's Gemini program. He was killed along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee when the Apollo 1 command module caught fire and burned on the launchpad during a training exercise and pre-launch test at Cape Kennedy on 27 January 1967. Edward Higgins White II (LtCol, USAF ( November 14, 1930  &ndash January 27, 1967) was a United States Air Force officer and Roger Bruce Chaffee ( February 15, 1935 – January 27, 1967) was a U Cape Canaveral from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County Florida, United States, near the center of that Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The fire's ignition source was never determined but their deaths were attributed to a wide range of lethal design hazards in the early Apollo command module such as its highly pressurized 100% oxygen atmosphere during the test, many wiring and plumbing flaws, flammable materials in the cockpit, a hatch which might not open at all in an emergency and even the flightsuits worn by the astronauts. These along with other flaws and design problems were fixed and the Apollo program carried on successfully.

Grissom was a Lieutenant Colonel at the time of his death and had logged a total of 4,600 hours flying time, including 3,500 hours in jet aircraft. Please see " Lieutenant Colonel " for other countries which use this rank In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps In his 1994 autobiography Deke! chief astronaut Deke Slayton said he wanted one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts to be the first on the moon and, "Had Gus been alive, as a Mercury astronaut he would have taken the step. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" Donald Kent “Deke” Slayton (March 1 1924 – June 13 1993 was one of the original " Mercury Seven " NASA astronauts The Mercury Seven was the group of seven Mercury astronauts picked by NASA on April 9, 1959. " Slayton also wrote, "My first choice would have been Gus, which both Chris Kraft and Bob Gilruth seconded. "

Grissom and Chaffee are both buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States, established during the American Civil War White is buried at West Point Cemetery. West Point Cemetery is an historic Cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point New York.

Spacesuit controversy

Grissom's MR-4 spacesuit on display at the Astronaut Hall of Fame
Grissom's MR-4 spacesuit on display at the Astronaut Hall of Fame

When the Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 his family loaned it the spacesuit worn by Grissom during Mercury 4 along with other personal artifacts belonging to the astronaut. The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame is located in Titusville Florida. A space suit is a complex system of Garments equipment and environmental systems designed to keep a person alive and comfortable in the harsh environment of outer space Mercury-Redstone 4 was a Mercury program Manned space mission launched on July 21, 1961 using a Redstone rocket. In 2002 the museum went into bankruptcy and was taken over by a NASA contractor, whereupon the family asked for everything back. [6] All the artifacts were returned to them except the spacesuit, which NASA claimed was government property. [7] NASA insisted Grissom got authorization to use the spacesuit for a show and tell at his son's school and never returned it but some Grissom family members claimed the astronaut rescued the spacesuit from a scrap heap. [8]

Awards and honors

Memorials

One of two Apollo 1 memorial plaques at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34.
One of two Apollo 1 memorial plaques at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34. The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States which was established by Executive Order 9158 signed by Franklin D The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award which may be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. The NASA Exceptional Service Medal is an award granted to US government employees for significant sustained performance characterized by unusual initiative or creative ability that clearly US Air Force aeronautical ratings are military aviation skill standards established and awarded by the United States Air Force for commissioned officers participating in aerial Florida Institute of Technology, also known as Florida Tech, is a private independent technical university located in Melbourne Florida. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress in 1969 to recognize "any Astronaut who in the performance of his duties has A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government Newport News is an Independent city in Virginia. It is at the south-western end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 ( LC-34) is a launch site at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Military

Schools

Film and television

Grissom has been noted and remembered in many film and television productions. Before he became widely known as an astronaut, the film Air Cadet (1951) starring Richard Long and Rock Hudson briefly featured Grissom early in the movie as a U. Richard Long ( December 17, 1927 - December 21, 1974) was an American Actor best known for his leading roles in several Rock Hudson (November 17 1925 &ndash October 2 1985 was an American Film and Television Actor, recognised as a romantic leading man during S. Air Force candidate for flight school at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas. Randolph Air Force Base ( Randolph AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force located in Universal City, Texas, near San Antonio Grissom was depicted by Fred Ward in the film The Right Stuff (1983) and (very briefly) in the film Apollo 13 (1995) by Steve Bernie. Fred Ward (born December 30, 1942) is an American Actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape The Right Stuff ( is a film adaptation of Tom Wolfe 's book The Right Stuff, about the Test pilots who were involved in high-speed He was portrayed in the TV mini-series From the Earth to the Moon (1998) by Mark Rolston. From the Earth to the Moon is a twelve-part HBO Television Miniseries (1998 co-produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Mark Rolston ( December 7, 1956) is an American Actor. He played PFC M Actor Kevin McCorkle played Grissom in the third season finale of the NBC television show American Dreams. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's American Dreams is an American Television Drama program broadcast on the NBC Television network. Bryan Cranston played Grissom as a nervous variety-show guest in the film That Thing You Do! In the film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock the Federation starship sent to survey the newly formed Genesis Planet is named USS Grissom. Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7 1956) is an American actor Voice actor, writer and director. That Thing You Do! (known in Spain as The Wonders and in Italy as Music Graffiti) is a 1996 Film, written and Star Trek III The Search for Spock ( Paramount Pictures, 1984) is the third feature Film based on the Star Trek The United Federation of Planets, (also known as the "The Federation" or UFP) is a fictional interplanetary state depicted in the Star Trek In the fictional Star Trek universe Project Genesis was a process of rapidly Terraforming worlds to make them suitable for settlement and food production The Oberth class is a fictional Starfleet Starship class in the Star Trek Science fiction franchise The character Gus Griswald in the popular children's TV show Recess is named after Grissom (his fictional father is a General in the US Army and Gus is his recruit). Recess is an American animated television series that was created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere, and produced by The character Gil Grissom in the CBS television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation[15] and the character Virgil Tracy in the British television series Thunderbirds are named after the astronaut. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom, PhD is a Fictional character portrayed by William Petersen on the American TV Crime drama. CSI Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama Television series that trails the investigations of a team of Las Vegas Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of Puppetry NASA footage including Grissom's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions was released in high definition on the Discovery Channel in June, 2008 in the television series When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions. Discovery Channel is an American Satellite and Cable TV channel (also delivered via IPTV, Terrestrial television and 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common When We Left Earth The NASA Missions is a Discovery Channel HD documentary Miniseries consisting of six episodes documenting [16]

Quote

“ If we die, we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life. ”
- after the Gemini 3 mission, March 1965

References

  1. ^ a b c astronautscholarship. org, Astronaut Scholarship Program, retrieved 23 January 2008
  2. ^ jsc. nasa. gov, Grissom biographical data, retrieved 23 January 2008
  3. ^ "["Ordinary Supermen"]". "When We Left Earth: NASA's Greatest Missions". When We Left Earth The NASA Missions is a Discovery Channel HD documentary Miniseries consisting of six episodes documenting [[08 June 2008]]. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
  4. ^ "["Ordinary Supermen"]". "When We Left Earth: NASA's Greatest Missions". When We Left Earth The NASA Missions is a Discovery Channel HD documentary Miniseries consisting of six episodes documenting [[08 June 2008]]. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
  5. ^ hq. nasa. gov, The Men for Gemini 3, retrieved 23 January 2008
  6. ^ Kelly, John, Gus Grissom's Family, NASA Fight Over Spacesuit, Florida Today, 20 November 2002, retrieved 27 May 2007
  7. ^ RoadsideAmerica. com, Luckless Gus Grissom in the hot seat again, 24 November 2002, retrieved 4 May 2007
  8. ^ Lee, Christopher, Grissom Spacesuit in Tug of War, Washington Post, 24 August 2005, retrieved 27 May 2007
  9. ^ space. com, Star names, retrieved 23 January 2008
  10. ^ ci. fullerton. ca. us, List of parks in Fullerton, California, retrieved 23 January 2008
  11. ^ grissom. afrc. af. mil, Grissom Air Reserve Base, USAF website, retrieved 23 January 2008
  12. ^ uns. purdue. edu, Purdue industrial engineering kicks off Grissom renovation, celebrates gifts, 14 October 2005, retrieved 23 January 2008
  13. ^ wikimapia. org, Grissom High School, retrieved 23 January 2008
  14. ^ oldbridgeschools. org, Welcome to Virgil Grissom Elementary School, retrieved 23 January 2008
  15. ^ Zaslow, Jeffrey, A real reality show; William Petersen, star of CBS' surprise hit series CSI seeks ultimate truths in some unseemly places, USA Weekend, 20 January 2002, retrieved 23 January 2008
  16. ^ "["Ordinary Supermen"]". USA WEEKEND Magazine is a national publication distributed through more than 600 newspapers in the United States "When We Left Earth: NASA's Greatest Missions". When We Left Earth The NASA Missions is a Discovery Channel HD documentary Miniseries consisting of six episodes documenting [[08 June 2008]]. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

External links

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