Astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Liberty Bell 7

Gus Grissom was one of the first seven astronauts in the United State’s NASA Mercury program. He was the second American in space. On July 21, 1961, Grissom took off in Mercury capsule Liberty Bell 7, splashing down 15 minutes and 37 seconds later. Then the explosive hatch blew with no warning, nearly costing not only the loss of the craft but of Grissom as well. Here is the story of his life along with a detailed examination of the mission and loss of Liberty Bell 7, narrated over footage of Liberty Bell 7 itself, which was found and raised from the sea floor in 1999.

#nasa #mercury #libertybell #space #astronaut #gusgrissom #history #exploration