Historical FigureMale
Virgil Ivan Grissom
1926 – 1967
About this person
Wikipedia SummaryVirgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom was an American astronaut, and one of the original Mercury Seven selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for Project Mercury, a program to train and launch astronauts into outer space. Grissom went on to be a Project Gemini and Apollo program astronaut for NASA. As a member of the NASA Astronaut Corps, Grissom was the second American to fly in space in 1961. He was also the second American to fly in space twice, preceded only by Joe Walker with his sub-orbital X-15 flights.
Biographical & Professional Details
Date of birth
April 3, 1926
Mitchell
Date of death
January 27, 1967
Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 34
Citizenship
United States
Occupations & fields
air force officerastronauttest pilotmechanical engineerflight instructorastronaut
Awards & honours
Distinguished Flying CrossAir MedalCongressional Space Medal of HonorNASA Exceptional Service MedalNational Aviation Hall of FameUnited States Astronaut Hall of Fame
- Field and occupation
- americký astronaut
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Fictional Character
fictional character in John Ball's 1965 novel In the Heat of the Night and six sequels



