June Carter Cash
Musical Monikers
Madonna
Justin Bieber
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
1 photo
Quick Facts
- NAME: Gus Grissom
- OCCUPATION: Astronaut
- BIRTH DATE: April 03, 1926
- DEATH DATE: January 27, 1967
- EDUCATION: Purdue University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Mitchell, Indiana
- PLACE OF DEATH: Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral), Florida
- Full Name: Virgil Ivan Grissom
- AKA: Virgil Grissom
- AKA: Gus Grissom
Best Known For
Gus Grissom transitioned from successful Air Force test pilot to NASA astronaut, despite a controversial landing in the Liberty Bell 7.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowGus Grissom. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 02:40, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/gus-grissom-259488.
Gus Grissom. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/gus-grissom-259488 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Gus Grissom." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 02:40 http://www.biography.com/people/gus-grissom-259488.
"Gus Grissom," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/gus-grissom-259488 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Gus Grissom," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/gus-grissom-259488 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Gus Grissom [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/gus-grissom-259488.
Gus Grissom, http://www.biography.com/people/gus-grissom-259488 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Gus Grissom. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/gus-grissom-259488. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Grissom struggled to get out and swam in the waters nearby, watching as the spacecraft sank.
Four years later, he was assigned another mission. As the commander of Gemini III, Grissom got a chance to orbit Earth three times. He and pilot John Young also conducted experiments and evaluated the spacecraft. Less than five hours after they launched on March 23, 1965,
Gemini III—nicknamed "Molly Brown" after the musical about the Titanic survivor by the same name—safely returned to Earth as heroes. Shortly after their mission was complete, Grissom and Young were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Tragic Death
Grissom was selected to command the first manned mission of what would become known as Apollo 1. Unfortunately, Grissom and the rest of his crew, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, never made it into space. They died on January 27, 1967, in fire during a pre-flight test at the NASA Space Center in Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral), Florida. Grissom left behind a wife and two children.
Like many other astronauts, Grissom knew his work was dangerous, but important. He is quoted in the book Footprints on the Moon as saying, "If we die, we want people to accept it. We're 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."
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Gus Grissom profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Famous Arians 534 people in this group
-
_30x30.jpg)
Famous People Who Died in Accidents 95 people in this group
-
Famous Astronauts
View group"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!" The famous words spoken by Neil Armstrong in 1969, created one of the most unforgettable moments in U.S. history. Even before that first-ever landing on the moon, astronauts began navigating their way through the thrill and mystery that is outer space. From John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the earth, to Sally Ride, the first American woman to enter space, these famous names have taken space exploration to new heights.
Famous Astronauts 17 people in this group
