NASA Commemorates 100th Anniversary of Astronaut Gus Grissom's Birth
NASA is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Virgil I. 'Gus' Grissom, one of the first seven astronauts in the United States space program. Born on April 3, 1926, in Mitchell, Indiana, Grissom became the second American to fly in space aboard the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft in 1961. Despite a successful flight, the mission faced challenges when the spacecraft's hatch blew prematurely, causing it to sink. Grissom was later selected to command the first crewed Gemini mission and was chosen to lead the first Apollo mission. Tragically, Grissom, along with astronauts Edward White and Roger Chaffee, died in a cabin fire during a preflight test in 1967. 
