Name: Grissom, Virgil "Gus" Country: USA M/F: M Number of Flights: 2*

Space Flights Launch Date - Rocket No. Landing Date - Rocket No.
1. Liberty Bell 7 July 21, 1961 - Redstone 8 July 21, 1961 - Redstone 8
2. Gemini 3 March 23, 1965 - GLV-3 March 23, 1965 - GLV-3
Space Flights Date of Preflight Test (Fire) Planned Launch Date
Apollo 1 (Died)* January 27, 1967 - AS-204 February 21, 1967 - AS-204

Space Flights Descriptions
Mercury-Redstone 3A
(Cancelled)
Proposed Backup Crew
The first manned flight of the Redstone launch vehicle was delayed for an additional test flight (MR-BD) after problems with the Redstone launch vehicle developed during the MR-2 test flight.
Freedom 7
(Mercury-Redstone 3)
Backup Pilot for Freedom 7
Mercury-Redstone 3 used Spacecraft 7 (Freedom 7)
1. Liberty Bell 7
(Mercury-Redstone 4)
Second suborbital flight
Spacecraft-11 (Liberty Bell 7) sank into the Atlantic ocean after splashdown and was recovered on July 20, 1999 over 30 years later.
Mercury-Atlas 11
(Cancelled)
Proposed Prime Crew
Mercury-Atlas 11 would have been the third one-day flight using Spacecraft 12B. It was cancelled since the Mercury program was behind schedule. It would have been difficult to fly more than two one-day flights before the mandated end of the Mercury program at the end of 1963.
2. Gemini 3 First manned Gemini spaceflight
The Gemini spacecraft was nicknamed the "Molly Brown" in honor of Virgil Grissom.
Gemini 6A
(Backup Crew)
Rendezvous with Gemini 7
Apollo 1 / AS-204
(Cancelled)
Prime Crew for the first Apollo C mission
The crew died when a fire swept through the Apollo CSM-102 spacecraft during a preflight test for the Apollo AS-204 mission, one month before launch. The mission was renamed Apollo 1 at the request of Grissom's widow.
* Apollo 1 doesn't count as a flight for Grissom

Return to Master List American Astronauts Gemini Program
Two Spaceflights Mercury Program Apollo Program

Updated - June 10, 2006