Today In History: Gus Grissom

In 1961 Capt. Virgil "Gus" Grissom became the second American to rocket into a suborbital pattern around the Earth, flying on the Liberty Bell 7.

On July 21, Grissom launched from Cape Canaveral in a Mercury spacecraft. After the flight, the spacecraft had a mishap as it landed in the Atlantic Ocean. The escape hatch blew open accidentally, and the spacecraft quickly filled with water. Grissom safely escaped.

In 1967, Grissom was one of three astronauts killed in an accident during a test on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.