Virgil I. Grissom

Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom was one of NASA’s first seven astronauts, flew the first crewed mission of the Gemini Program, and was named to serve as command pilot for the AS-204 mission, the first 3-man Apollo flight.

Quick Facts

Grissom was one of the seven Mercury astronauts selected by NASA in April 1959.

Grissom piloted the “Liberty Bell 7” spacecraft on July 21, 1961.

Grissom’s “Liberty Bell 7” flight lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds.

On March 23, 1965, Grissom served as command pilot on the first manned Gemini Flight.

Official portrait of Apollo 1 crew — Portrait of the Apollo 1 prime crew for first manned Apollo space flight. From left to right are: Edward H. White II, Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, and Roger B. Chaffee. On January 27, 1967 at 5:31 p.m. CST (6:31 local time) during a routine simulated launch test onboard the Apollo Saturn V Moon rocket, an electrical short circuit inside the Apollo Command Module ignited the pure oxygen environment and within a matter of seconds all three Apollo 1 crewmembers perished.
NASA

Project Mercury Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom is assisted by suit specialist Joe W. Schmidt as he prepares for his Mercury-Redstone 4 space flight — Project Mercury Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom, primary pilot for the Mercury-Redstone 4 (Liberty Bell 7) flight, gets an assist from suit specialist Joe W. Schmidt as he prepares for the Mercury-Redstone 4 space flight. The flight, the second crewed shot in the Mercury program, was postponed because of bad weather in the launch area.
NASA

Gemini 3 astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young sit in the Gemini spacecraft simulator — On March 23, 1965, astronauts Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom and John W. Young participated in the first crewed Gemini flight, Gemini III.
NASA

Apollo astronauts, left to right, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, pose in front of Launch Complex 34, which housed the Saturn 1 rocket scheduled for the Apollo 1 mission. The mission was to be the first crewed flight of the Apollo program with a planned launch on Feb. 21, 1967.

Manned Spacecraft Center Director Robert R. Gilruth (far right) introduces the Apollo 1 crew during press conference in Houston. Sitting next to Gilruth are (from left) astronauts Roger Chaffee, Edward H. White II, and Gus Grissom. (1966)
NASA

Biography

Virgil I. Grissom

Learn more about Astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom, including when he was selected by NASA to be an astronaut, his flight experience, education, background and more.

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Project Mercury pressure suit specialist Joseph W. Schmitt adjusts a respirometer attached to the helmet of astronaut Virgil I. Grissom during a dress rehearsal for the NASA’s second manned suborbital flight, dubbed Liberty Bell 7, planned for the week of July 16. Respirometer enables ground medical personnel to monitor the pilot’s breathing rate during the countdown and flight. Hose attached to the left side of the pilot’s suit brings breathing oxygen into the suit.

NASA

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Mercury-Redstone 4: Liberty Bell 7

Mission Facts Mission: LIBERTY BELL 7Launch Pad: LC-5Vehicle: Redstone (6)Crew: Virgil I. GrissomBackup Crew: John H. Glenn, Jr.Payload: Spacecraft No. 11, Launch Vehicle MR-8 Milestones March 7, 1961: Spacecraft delivered to Hangar…

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On Jan. 27, 1967, tragedy struck on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204). The mission was to be the first crewed flight…

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The Mercury Seven

On October 7, 1958, shortly after NASA opened for business, it announced its first major undertaking, Project Mercury. The objectives were threefold: to place a human spacecraft into orbital flight around Earth, observe human performance in such conditions, and recover the human and the spacecraft safely. In January 1959, the committee received and screened 508 service records of a group of talented test pilots, of which seven were ultimately chosen.

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