alb3791767

Astronaut Gus Grissom, Liberty Bell 7, 1961

Astronaut Grissom climbs into Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft. Mercury-Redstone 4 was the second United States human spaceflight, on July 21, 1961. The suborbital Project Mercury flight was launched with a Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, MRLV-8. The spacecraft, Mercury capsule #11, was named Liberty Bell 7 and piloted by astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom. The flight lasted 15 minutes 30 seconds, reached an altitude of more than 102.8 nautical miles (190.4 km) and traveled 262.5 nautical miles (486.2 km) downrange, landing in the Atlantic ocean. The flight went as expected until just after splashdown, when the hatch cover, designed to release explosively in the event of an emergency, accidentally blew. Grissom was at risk of drowning, but was recovered safely. The capsule sank into the Atlantic and was not recovered until 1999.

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Title:

Astronaut Gus Grissom, Liberty Bell 7, 1961

Caption:

Astronaut Grissom climbs into Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft. Mercury-Redstone 4 was the second United States human spaceflight, on July 21, 1961. The suborbital Project Mercury flight was launched with a Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, MRLV-8. The spacecraft, Mercury capsule #11, was named Liberty Bell 7 and piloted by astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom. The flight lasted 15 minutes 30 seconds, reached an altitude of more than 102.8 nautical miles (190.4 km) and traveled 262.5 nautical miles (486.2 km) downrange, landing in the Atlantic ocean. The flight went as expected until just after splashdown, when the hatch cover, designed to release explosively in the event of an emergency, accidentally blew. Grissom was at risk of drowning, but was recovered safely. The capsule sank into the Atlantic and was not recovered until 1999.

Personalities:

GUS GRISSOM

Credit:

Album / NASA/Science Source

Releases:

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Image size:

2208 x 2815 px | 17.8 MB

Print size:

18.7 x 23.8 cm | 7.4 x 9.4 in (300 dpi)

Keywords:

1960S • 1961 • 20 XX TWENTIETH CENTURY • 20TH CENTURY • 20TH • 60 60'S DECADE SIXTY YEARS • 60 60'S DECADE YEARS SIXTY SIXTIES • 60S • AEROSPACE • AMERICA • AMERICAN • ASTRONAUT • ASTRONAUTICS • BW • CAPE CANAVERAL • CAPSULE • CELEBRITY • EVENT • EVENTS • FAMOUS • FIGURE • GRISSOM • GUS GRISSOM • HISTORIC • HISTORICAL • HISTORY • IMPORTANT • JULY 21 • JULY 21ST • LIBERTY BELL 7 • LIBERTY BELL MERCURY • MALE • MAN • MANNED SPACE FLIGHT • MEN • MERCURY PROGRAM • MERCURY-REDSTONE 4 • MR-4 • NASA • NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION • NOTABLE • PEOPLE • PERSON • PERSONALITIES • PERSONALITY • PROJECT MERCURY • RESEARCH • SCIENCE • SIXTIES • SIXTIES, THE • SPACE EXPLORATION • SPACE FLIGHT • SPACE PROGRAM • SPACE SHIP • SPACE TRAVEL • SPACECRAFT • SPACEFLIGHT • SPACESHIP • TECHNOLOGICAL • TECHNOLOGY • TWENTIETH CENTURY • UNITED STATES • US • USA • VIRGIL GRISSOM • VIRGIL IVAN GRISSOM • WELL-KNOWN • YEARS DECADE'S SIXTY SIXTIES 60 60 1960