Grissom, Virgil Ivan (1926-1967), was one of the first United States astronauts, and the first American to make more than one space flight. Grissom and astronauts Edward H. White II and Roger Chaffee were killed on Jan. 27, 1967, when fire swept through their Apollo command module during a test on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral), Florida.
Grissom made his first space flight on July 21, 1961. His Mercury spacecraft rocketed 118 miles (190 kilometers) into space from Cape Canaveral and landed 303 miles (488 kilometers) away in the Atlantic Ocean. The spacecraft filled with water and sank after its explosive hatch blew open accidentally. But Grissom escaped and was rescued by a helicopter.
In 1965, Grissom and astronaut John W. Young made the first two-man Gemini flight. On this flight, he became the first space pilot to change his craft’s orbit, a feat he accomplished by firing the craft’s thrusters. In 1966, he became commander of the first three-man Apollo flight. He died in a test for this flight.
Grissom, whose nickname was Gus, was born on April 3, 1926, in Mitchell, Indiana. He graduated from Purdue University. He flew 100 combat missions during the Korean War, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. In the late 1950’s, he became a test pilot in the U.S. Air Force.
See also Mercury .
