American astronaut and U.S. Air Force officer, one of the original Mercury Seven selected by NASA in 1959. He was the second American to fly in space, on Mercury-Redstone 4 in 1961, and the second American to fly in space twice, on Gemini 3 in 1965. He was killed on January 27, 1967, along with Ed White and Roger Chaffee, in a cabin fire during a pre-launch test for Apollo 1, which he was set to command.
Facts
Defining ContributionGrissom was the second American to fly in space, and the second American to fly in space twice. 1 Notable MissionMercury-Redstone 4 and Gemini 3 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationGus Grissom, lead paragraph sectionQuote, Gus Grissom, lead paragraph section
Virgil Ivan 'Gus' Grissom
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationGus Grissom, Death sectionQuote, Gus Grissom, Death section
As commander of AS-204 (Apollo 1), Grissom died with astronauts Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee on January 27, 1967, during a pre-launch test.
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