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{{Short description|American astronaut (1926–1967)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name = Gus Grissom
| image = Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom portrait.jpg
| caption = Grissom in 1964
| birth_name = Virgil Ivan Grissom
| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|4|3}}
| birth_place = [[Mitchell, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1967|1|27|1926|4|3}}
| death_place = [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Canaveral]], Florida, U.S.
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Betty Grissom|Betty Lavonne Moore]]|1945}}
| children = 2
| restingplace = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
| education = [[Purdue University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[Air University (United States Air Force)|Air University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])
| awards = {{plainlist|
*[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]
*[[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]
*[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]}}
| type = [[NASA astronaut]]
| rank = [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]], [[United States Air Force|USAF]]
| time = 5h 7m
| selection = [[Mercury Seven|NASA Group 1 (1959)]]
| mission = {{plainlist|
*[[Mercury-Redstone 4]]
*[[Gemini 3]]
*[[Apollo 1]]}}
| insignia = [[File:Mercury 4 - Patch.png|50px]] [[File:Gemini3.png|45px]] [[File:Apollo 1 patch.png|45px]]
}}
'''Virgil Ivan''' "'''Gus'''" '''Grissom''' (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was an American engineer and pilot in the [[United States Air Force]], as well as one of the original [[Mercury Seven]] selected by the [[NASA|National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] 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 [[Joseph A. Walker|Joe Walker]] with his sub-orbital [[X-15]] flights.

Grissom was a [[World War II]] and [[Korean War]] veteran, mechanical engineer, and [[United States Air Force|USAF]] [[test pilot]]. He was a recipient of the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]], the [[Air Medal]] with an [[oak leaf cluster]], two [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]s, and, posthumously, the [[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]].

As commander of ''AS-204'' ([[Apollo 1]]), Grissom died with astronauts [[Ed White (astronaut)|Ed White]] and [[Roger B. Chaffee]] on January 27, 1967, during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Kennedy]], Florida.

== Early life ==
Virgil Ivan Grissom was born in the small town of [[Mitchell, Indiana]], on April 3, 1926,{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=88}} to Dennis David Grissom, a signalman for the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]], and Cecile King Grissom, a homemaker. Virgil was the family's second child; his older sister, Lena, died a year prior to Gus' birth. He was followed by three younger siblings: a sister, Wilma, and two brothers, Norman and Lowell.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=39–40}} Grissom started school at Riley grade school. His interest in flying began during that time, building model airplanes.{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=88}} He received his nickname when his friend was reading his name on a scorecard upside down and misread "Griss" as "Gus".{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=88}}

As a youth, Grissom attended the local [[Churches of Christ|Church of Christ]], where he remained a lifelong member. He joined the local [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scout]] Troop and earned the rank of [[Star (Boy Scouts of America)|Star Scout]].<ref name=Scouting>{{cite web|url=http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/scouting_space.aspx|access-date=June 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032406/http://www.scouting.org/about/factsheets/scouting_space.aspx|archive-date=March 4, 2016|title=Scouting and Space Exploration|publisher=Boy Scouts of America}}</ref> Grissom credited the Scouts for his love of hunting and fishing. He was the leader of the honor guard in his troop.{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=89}} His first jobs were delivering newspapers for ''[[The Indianapolis Star]]'' in the morning and the ''Bedford Times'' in the evening.{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=88}} In the summer he picked fruit in area orchards and worked at a dry-goods store.{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=89}} He also worked at a local meat market, a service station, and a clothing store in Mitchell.

Grissom started attending [[Mitchell High School (Indiana)|Mitchell High School]] in 1940.{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=89}} He wanted to play varsity basketball but he was too short. His father encouraged him to find sports he was more suited for, and he joined the swimming team.{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=89}} Although he excelled at mathematics, Grissom was an average high school student in other subjects.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=42–43}} He graduated from high school in 1944.

In addition, Grissom occasionally spent time at a local airport in [[Bedford, Indiana]], where he first became interested in aviation. A local attorney who owned a small plane would take him on flights and taught him the basics of flying.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|p=47}}

Grissom was a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=MacKeen |first=Jason |date=May 24, 2022 |title=Famous Freemason - Virgil Grissom |url=https://www.fellowshiplodge5797.com/post/famous-freemason-virgil-grissom |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=Fellowship Lodge |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 20, 2009 |title=Famous Freemasons in History {{!}} Freemason Information |url=https://freemasoninformation.com/masonic-education/famous/famous-freemasons-in-history/ |access-date=March 14, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== World War II ==
[[World War II]] began while Grissom was still in high school, but he was eager to join the armed services upon graduation. Grissom enlisted as an [[aviation cadet]] in the [[United States Army Air Forces|U.S. Army Air Forces]] during his senior year in high school, and completed an entrance exam in November 1943. Grissom was inducted into the U.S. Army Air Forces on August 8, 1944, at [[Fort Benjamin Harrison]], Indiana. He was sent to [[Sheppard Air Force Base|Sheppard Field]] in [[Wichita Falls, Texas]], for five weeks of basic flight training, and was later stationed at [[Brooks Air Force Base|Brooks Field]] in [[San Antonio]], Texas. In January 1945 Grissom was assigned to [[Boca Raton Army Airfield]] in Florida. Although he was interested in becoming a pilot, most of Grissom's time before his discharge in 1945 was spent as a [[Clerk (position)|clerk]].{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=48–49}}

== Post-war employment ==
Grissom was discharged from military service in November 1945, after the war had ended, and returned to Mitchell, where he took a job at Carpenter Body Works, a local bus manufacturing business. Grissom was determined to make his career in aviation and attend college. Using the [[G.I. Bill]] for partial payment of his school tuition, Grissom enrolled at [[Purdue University]] in September 1946.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=50–53}}

Due to a shortage of campus housing during her husband's first semester in college in [[West Lafayette, Indiana]], Grissom's wife, Betty, stayed in Mitchell living with her parents, while Grissom lived in a rented apartment with another male student. Betty Grissom joined her husband on campus during his second semester, and the couple settled into a small, one-bedroom apartment. Grissom continued his studies at Purdue, worked part-time as a cook at a local restaurant, and took summer classes to finish college early, while his wife worked the night shift as a long-distance operator for the Indiana Bell Telephone Company to help pay for his schooling and their living expenses. Grissom graduated from Purdue with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[mechanical engineering]] in February 1950.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=55–57}}

== Korean War ==
[[File:Gus Grissom photo portrait head and shoulders.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Grissom in the United States Air Force]]
After he graduated from Purdue, Grissom re-enlisted in the newly formed [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]]. He was accepted into the [[United States Air Force Basic Military Training|Air Cadet Basic Training Program]] at [[Randolph Air Force Base]] in [[Universal City, Texas]]. Upon completion of the program, he was assigned to [[Williams Air Force Base]] in [[Mesa, Arizona]], where his wife, Betty, and infant son, Scott, joined him, but the family remained there only briefly. In March 1951, Grissom received his [[Command Pilot Wings|pilot wings]] and a commission as a [[Second Lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]]. Nine months later, in December 1951, Grissom and his family moved into new living quarters in [[Presque Isle, Maine]], where he was assigned to [[Presque Isle International Airport|Presque Isle Air Force Base]] and became a member of the [[75th Fighter Squadron|75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]].{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=57–60}}

With the ongoing [[Korean War]], Grissom's squadron was dispatched to the war zone in February 1952. There he flew as an [[F-86 Sabre]] replacement pilot and was reassigned to the [[334th Fighter Squadron]] of the [[4th Fighter Wing|4th Fighter Interceptor Wing]] stationed at [[Gimpo International Airport|Kimpo Air Base]].{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|p=63}} He flew one hundred [[Aerial warfare|combat missions]] during approximately six months of service in Korea, including multiple occasions when he broke up air raids from North Korean [[MiG]]s. On March 11, 1952, Grissom was promoted to [[first lieutenant]] and was cited for his "superlative airmanship" for his actions on March 23, 1952, when he flew cover for a photo reconnaissance mission.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=63–68}} Grissom was also awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] and the [[Air Medal]] with an [[oak leaf cluster]] for his military service in Korea.{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=59}}

After flying his quota of one hundred missions, Grissom asked to remain in Korea to fly another twenty-five flights, but his request was denied. Grissom returned to the United States to serve as a [[flight instructor]] at [[Bryan Air Force Base|Bryan AFB]] in [[Bryan, Texas]], where he was joined by his wife, Betty, and son, Scott. The Grissoms' second child, Mark, was born there in 1953. Grissom soon learned that flight instructors faced their own set of on-the-job risks. During a training exercise with a cadet, the trainee pilot caused a flap to break off from their two-seat trainer, sending it into a roll. Grissom quickly climbed from the rear seat of the small aircraft to take over the controls and safely land it.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=68–69}}

In August 1955, Grissom was reassigned to the U.S. [[Air Force Institute of Technology]] (AFIT) at [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]] near [[Dayton, Ohio]] of [[Air University (United States Air Force)|Air University]]. After completing the year-long course he earned a [[bachelor's degree]] in [[aeromechanics]] in 1956.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|p=71}} In October 1956, he entered the [[U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] in California, and returned to Wright-Patterson AFB in [[Ohio]] in May 1957, after attaining the rank of [[Captain (United States)|captain]]. Grissom served as a [[test pilot]] assigned to the fighter branch.<ref name="GG">{{cite web|work=U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame|url=http://www.astronautscholarship.org/grissom.html|title=Astronaut Biographies: Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom|access-date=January 23, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008201355/http://www.astronautscholarship.org/grissom.html|archive-date=October 8, 2007}}</ref><ref name="jscbio">{{cite web|work=NASA|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/grissom_virgil.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/grissom_virgil.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Astronaut Bio: Virgil I. Grissom|access-date=February 19, 2021 |date=December 1997}}</ref>{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=72–74}}

== NASA career ==
[[File:Project Mercury-Mercury Seven-Astronauts.jpg|thumb|{{right| Grissom (far left) with fellow [[Project Mercury]] astronauts and a model of the [[Atlas LV-3B|Atlas rocket]], July 12, 1962}}]]

In 1959, Grissom received an official [[Teleprinter|teletype]] message instructing him to report to an address in Washington, D.C., wearing civilian clothes. The message was classified [[Classified information|"Top Secret"]] and Grissom was ordered not to discuss its contents with anyone. Of the 508 military candidates who were considered, he was one of 110 test pilots whose credentials had earned them an invitation to learn more about the U.S. space program in general and its [[Project Mercury]]. Grissom was intrigued by the program, but knew that competition for the final spots would be fierce.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=88–91}}<ref name="nasabio">{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/zorn/grissom.htm|title=Detailed Biographies of Apollo I Crew – Gus Grissom|website=NASA History Program Office|access-date=February 21, 2017|last=White|first=Mary}}</ref>

Grissom passed the initial screening in Washington, D.C., and was among the thirty-nine candidates sent to the [[Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute|Lovelace Clinic]] in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], and the Aeromedical Laboratory of the Wright Air Development Center in Dayton, Ohio, to undergo extensive physical and psychological testing. He was nearly disqualified when doctors discovered that he suffered from [[Allergic rhinitis|hay fever]], but was permitted to continue after he argued that his allergies would not be a problem due to the absence of ragweed pollen in space.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=92–93}}

On April 13, 1959, Grissom received official notification that he had been selected as one of the seven Project Mercury astronauts. Grissom and the six other men, after taking a leave of absence from their respective branches of the military service, reported to the Space Task Group at [[Langley Air Force Base]] in [[Virginia]] on April 27, 1959, to begin their astronaut training.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|p=117}}<ref name="Ordinary Supermen">[[Discovery Channel]], [[When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions]], "Ordinary Supermen," airdate June 8, 2008 (season 1)</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Zornio|first=Mary C.|title=Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom|url=https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/grissom.htm|website=NASA History Program Office|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref>

=== Project Mercury ===
{{Main|Mercury-Redstone 4}}
[[File:Grissom prepares to enter Liberty Bell 7 61-MR4-76.jpg|thumb|left|Grissom in front of the ''[[Liberty Bell 7]]'' spacecraft]]

On July 21, 1961, Grissom was pilot of the second Project Mercury flight, [[Mercury-Redstone 4]]. Grissom named his spacecraft ''[[Liberty Bell 7]]'' after the [[Liberty Bell]], and drew a crack on it as a nod to the bell. ''Liberty Bell 7'' was launched from [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Canaveral]], Florida, a [[Sub-orbital spaceflight|sub-orbital flight]] that lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds.<ref name="jscbio" /><ref name="nasabio" /> After [[splashdown]] in the Atlantic Ocean, the ''Liberty Bell 7''{{'}}s emergency explosive bolts unexpectedly fired, blowing off the hatch and causing water to flood into the spacecraft. Grissom quickly exited through the open hatch and into the ocean. While waiting for recovery helicopters from {{USS|Randolph|CV-15|6}} to pick him up, Grissom struggled to keep from drowning after his [[Navy Mark IV|spacesuit]] began losing buoyancy due to an open air inlet. Grissom managed to stay afloat until he was pulled from the water by a helicopter and taken to the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] ship. In the meantime another recovery helicopter tried to lift and retrieve the ''Liberty Bell 7'', but the flooding spacecraft became too heavy, forcing the recovery crew to cut it loose, and it ultimately sank.<ref name="nasabio" />

[[File:2006LibertyBell7Display.JPG|thumb|right|''Liberty Bell 7'', recovered in 1999, was restored and is displayed at the [[Cosmosphere]] in [[Hutchinson, Kansas]]]]

When reporters at a news conference surrounded Grissom after his space flight to ask how he felt, Grissom replied, "Well, I was scared a good portion of the time; I guess that's a pretty good indication."<ref name=upi-events-1961>{{cite news|publisher=UPI.com|work=Year in Review|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/Audio/Events-of-1961/U.S.-in-Space/|title=U.S. in Space|access-date=July 12, 2015}}</ref> Grissom stated he had done nothing to cause the hatch to blow, and no definitive explanation for the incident was found.<ref name="nasabio" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-12-mn-43115-story.html|title=Liberty Bell 7 Yields Clues to Its Sinking|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=January 29, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327181316/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/dec/12/news/mn-43115|archive-date=March 27, 2017}}</ref> Robert F. Thompson, director of Mercury operations, was dispatched to {{USS|Randolph|CV-15|6}} by [[Space Task Group]] Director Robert Gilruth and spoke with Grissom upon his arrival on the aircraft carrier. Grissom explained that he had got ahead in the mission timeline and had removed the detonator cap, and also pulled the safety pin. Once the pin was removed, the trigger was no longer held in place and could have inadvertently fired as a result of ocean wave action, bobbing as a result of helicopter rotor wash, or other activity. NASA officials concluded Grissom had not necessarily initiated the firing of the explosive hatch, which would have required pressing a plunger that required five pounds of force to depress.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/11/with-every-splashdown-nasa-embraces-the-legacy-of-gus-grissom/|title=Gus Grissom taught NASA a hard lesson: 'You can hurt yourself in the ocean'|last=Berger|first=Eric|date=November 8, 2016|access-date=March 26, 2017|website=Ars Technica}}</ref> Hitting this metal trigger with the hand typically left a large bruise,{{sfn|French|Burgess|2007|p=93}} but Grissom was found not to have any of the telltale hand bruising.<ref name="nasabio" />

While the debate continued about the premature detonation of ''Liberty Bell 7'''s hatch bolts, precautions were initiated for subsequent flights. Fellow Mercury astronaut [[Wally Schirra]], at the end of his [[Mercury-Atlas 8|October 3, 1962, flight]], remained inside his spacecraft until it was safely aboard the recovery ship, and made a point of deliberately blowing the hatch to get out of the spacecraft, bruising his hand.<ref name="nasabio" /><ref>{{cite book|title=This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury|year=1966|author1=Alexander, C. C.|author2=Grimwood, J. M.|author3=Swenson, L. S. Jr.|publisher=NASA|page=484|chapter=Chapter 14: Climax of Project Mercury-The Textbook Flight|hdl = 2060/19670005605}} ([https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch14-4.htm HTML copy] Retrieved July 12, 2015)</ref>

Grissom's spacecraft was [[Mercury-Redstone 4#Recovery of Liberty Bell 7|recovered in 1999]], but no evidence was found that could conclusively explain how the explosive hatch release had occurred. Later, [[Guenter Wendt]], pad leader for the early American crewed space launches, wrote that he believed a small cover over the external release actuator was accidentally lost sometime during the flight or splashdown. Another possible explanation was that the hatch's T-handle may have been tugged by a stray parachute suspension line, or was perhaps damaged by the heat of re-entry, and after cooling upon splashdown it contracted and caught fire.<ref name="Ordinary Supermen" /><ref>{{Cite web | author = Banke, Jim | website = Space.com | title = Gus Grissom didn't sink the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury capsule | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101115142635/http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/missions/liberty_bell_000617.html | archive-date = November 15, 2010 | url = http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/missions/liberty_bell_000617.html | date = June 17, 2000 | access-date=February 11, 2023}}</ref> It has also been suggested that a static electricity discharge during initial contact between the spacecraft and the rescue helicopter may have caused the hatch's explosive bolts to blow. The co-pilot of the helicopter, U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant John Reinhard, had the job of using a cutting pole to snip off an antenna before the helicopter could latch onto the capsule. In the 1990s, he told a researcher that he remembered seeing an electric arc jump between the capsule and his pole right before the hatch blew.<ref>{{Cite web | author = Leopold, George | author2 = Saunders, Andy | date = July 21, 2021 | title = Did static electricity — not Gus Grissom — blow the hatch of the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft? | url = https://astronomy.com/news/2021/07/did-static-electricity-blow-the-hatch-of-liberty-bell-7 | access-date = December 4, 2022 | website = Astronomy.com}}</ref> Jim Lewis, the pilot of Grissom's rescue helicopter, told ''[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian Magazine]]'' that closer inspection of film footage made him remember the day in better detail. He recalled that "Reinhard must have cut the antenna a mere second or two before I got us in a position for him to attach our harness to the capsule lifting bale," indicating that the timing of the helicopter's approach aligned with the static discharge theory.<ref>{{Cite web | author = Reichhardt, Tony | title = New Evidence Shows That Gus Grissom Did Not Accidentally Sink His Own Spacecraft 60 Years Ago | url = https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/new-evidence-shows-gus-grissom-did-not-accidentally-sink-his-own-spacecraft-sixty-years-ago-180978240/ | access-date = December 4, 2022 | website = Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref>

=== Project Gemini ===
{{Main|Gemini 3}}
In early 1964, [[Alan Shepard]] was grounded after being diagnosed with [[Ménière's disease]] and Grissom was designated command pilot for [[Gemini 3]], the first crewed [[Project Gemini]] flight, which flew on March 23, 1965.<ref name="nasabio" /> This mission made Grissom the first human and thus first [[NASA Astronaut Corps|NASA astronaut]] to fly into space twice.<ref>The first person to reach space twice was [[Joseph A. Walker]], a NASA [[test pilot]] who made two [[X-15]] flights in 1963 which exceeded {{convert|100|km|nmi|sp=us}} altitude, the internationally recognized definition of outer space.</ref> The two-man flight on Gemini 3 with Grissom and [[John Young (astronaut)|John W. Young]] made three orbits of the Earth and lasted for 4 hours, 52 minutes and 31 seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautsmemorial.org/virgil-ldquogusrdquo-grissom-honored.html|title=Virgil "Gus" Grissom Honored|publisher=Astronaut Memorial Foundation|access-date=May 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706011157/http://www.astronautsmemorial.org/virgil-ldquogusrdquo-grissom-honored.html|archive-date=July 6, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Grissom was one of the eight pilots of the NASA [[NASA Paresev|paraglider research vehicle]] (Paresev).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/Paresev/HTML/index.html|title=Photo Paresev Contact Sheet|access-date=November 28, 2016|website=NASA Dryden Flight Research Center}}</ref>

Grissom, the shortest of the original seven astronauts at five feet seven inches tall, worked very closely with the engineers and technicians from [[McDonnell Aircraft]] who built the Gemini spacecraft. Because of his involvement in the design of the first three spacecraft, his fellow astronauts humorously referred to the craft as "the Gusmobile". By July 1963 NASA discovered 14 out of its 16 astronauts could not fit themselves into the cabin and the later cockpits were modified.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|p=100}}<ref>{{cite book|title=On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch10-2.htm|first=Barton C.|last=Hacker|author2=James M. Grimwood|year=1977|access-date=January 23, 2008|publisher=NASA Special Publications|series=NASA History Series #4203|archive-date=November 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130070830/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch10-2.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> During this time Grissom invented the multi-axis [[translation (physics)|translation]] thruster controller used to push the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft in linear directions for [[space rendezvous|rendezvous and docking]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Agle|first=D.C.|title=Flying the Gusmobile|journal=Air & Space|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|date=September 1, 1998|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/flying-the-gusmobile-218187/}}</ref>

In a joking nod to the sinking of his Mercury craft, Grissom named the first Gemini spacecraft ''[[Margaret Brown|Molly Brown]]'' (after the popular Broadway show, ''[[The Unsinkable Molly Brown (musical)|The Unsinkable Molly Brown]]'').<ref name="nasabio" /> Some NASA publicity officials were unhappy with this name and asked Grissom and his pilot, [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]], to come up with a new one. When they offered ''Titanic'' as an alternate,<ref name="nasabio" /> NASA executives decided to allow them to use the name of ''Molly Brown'' for Gemini 3, but did not use it in official references. Much to the agency's chagrin, [[Capsule communicator|CAPCOM]] [[Gordon Cooper]] gave Gemini 3 its sendoff on launch with the remark to Grissom and Young, "You're on your way, ''Molly Brown''!" Ground controllers also used it to refer to the spacecraft throughout its flight.{{sfn|Shayler|2001|p=186}}

After the safe return of Gemini 3, NASA announced new spacecraft would not be nicknamed. Hence, [[Gemini 4]] was not called ''American Eagle'' as its crew had planned. The practice of nicknaming spacecraft resumed in 1967, when managers realized that the [[Apollo Program|Apollo]] flights needed a name for each of two flight elements, the [[Apollo Command/Service Module|Command Module]] (CSM) and the [[Apollo Lunar Module|Lunar Module]]. Lobbying by the astronauts and senior NASA administrators also had an effect. [[Apollo 9]] used the name ''Gumdrop'' for the Command Module and ''Spider'' for the Lunar Module.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=138–139}} However, Wally Schirra was prevented from naming his [[Apollo 7]] spacecraft ''Phoenix'' in honor of the [[Apollo 1]] crew because some believed that its nickname as a metaphor for "fire" might be misunderstood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-101514a-apollo7-phoenix-mission-patch.html|title=Alternate Apollo 7: Astronaut's anniversary patch recalls 'Flight of the Phoenix'|access-date=May 31, 2017|publisher=collectSPACE}}</ref>

=== Apollo program ===
Grissom was backup command pilot for [[Gemini 6A]] when he was transferred to the [[Apollo program]] and was assigned as commander of the first crewed mission, [[Apollo 1|AS-204]], with Senior Pilot [[Ed White (astronaut)|Ed White]], who had flown in space on the Gemini 4 mission, when he became the first American to make a [[Extravehicular activity|spacewalk]], and Pilot [[Roger B. Chaffee]].<ref name="nasabio" /> The three men were granted permission to refer to their flight as "Apollo 1" on their mission insignia patch.
[[File:Apollo 1 Prime Crew - GPN-2000-001159.jpg|thumb|290x290px|Grissom with the [[Apollo 1]] crew in 1966]]
Problems with the simulator proved extremely annoying to Grissom, who told a reporter the problems with Apollo 1 came "in bushelfuls" and that he was skeptical of its chances to complete its fourteen-day mission.{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|p=293}}  Grissom earned the nickname "Gruff Gus" by being outspoken about the technical deficiencies of the spacecraft.{{sfn|Burgess|Doolan|Vis|2008|p=82}} The engineers who programmed the Apollo training simulator had a difficult time keeping the simulator in sync with the continuous changes being made to the spacecraft. According to backup astronaut [[Walter Cunningham]], "We knew that the spacecraft was, you know, in poor shape relative to what it ought to be. We felt like we could fly it, but let's face it, it just wasn't as good as it should have been for the job of flying the first crewed Apollo mission."<ref name="nasabio" />

NASA pressed on. In mid-January 1967, "preparations were being made for the final pre-flight tests of Spacecraft 012."<ref name="nasabio" /> On January 22, 1967, before returning to [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Kennedy]] to conduct the January 27 plugs-out test that ended his life, Grissom's wife, Betty, later recalled that he took a lemon from a tree in his back yard and explained that he intended to hang it on that spacecraft, although he actually hung the lemon on the simulator (a duplicate of the Apollo spacecraft).{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|p=290}}<ref name="chariots8-7">{{cite book|title=Chariots for Apollo|author1=Brooks|author2=Grimwood|author3=Swenson|year=1979|access-date=April 22, 2016|chapter=Preparations for the First Manned Apollo Mission|chapter-url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch8-7.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209003722/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/contents.html|archive-date=February 9, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Personal life ==

Grissom met [[Betty Grissom|Betty Lavonne Moore]] (1927–2018), in high school.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/d90d71139414422e94774fb83ec167ec|title=Betty Grissom, widow of astronaut Virgil 'Gus' Grissom, dies|last=Callahan|first=Rick|date=October 10, 2018|work=Associated Press|access-date=January 26, 2019}}</ref> They were married on July 6, 1945, at First Baptist Church in Mitchell when he was home on leave during [[World War II]]. The couple had two sons, Scott (1950), and Mark (1953).{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=59,68}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautmemorial.net/grissom.htm|title=In Memoriam – Lt. Col. Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (USAF)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723225211/http://astronautmemorial.net/grissom.htm|archive-date=July 23, 2014}}</ref>
	
Two of Grissom's pastimes were hunting and fishing. The family also enjoyed water sports and skiing.<ref name="Zornio">{{cite web |title=40th Anniversary of Mercury 7: Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom |url=https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/grissom.htm |access-date=July 11, 2018 |publisher=NASA}}</ref>

== Death ==
{{Main|Apollo 1}}[[File:Apollo 1 fire.jpg|thumb|Charred remains of the [[Apollo 1]] [[Apollo Command/Service Module|Command Module]], in which Grissom was killed along with [[Roger B. Chaffee]] and [[Ed White (astronaut)|Ed White]]]]

Before Apollo 1's planned launch on February 21, 1967, the Command Module interior caught fire and burned on January 27, 1967, during a pre-launch test on [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34|Launch Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy]]. Astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee, who were working inside the closed Command Module, were asphyxiated and died. During the test, Grissom said, "How are we going to get to the Moon if we can't talk between two or three buildings," then shouted "fire!"<ref>{{Cite web |title=File:Apollo One Recording.ogg - Wikipedia |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo_One_Recording.ogg |access-date=December 23, 2022 |website=commons.wikimedia.org |date=January 27, 1967 |language=en}}</ref> The fire's ignition source was damaged wiring.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sen |first1=Nina |title=What Happened to NASA's Apollo 1 Mission? |url=https://www.livescience.com/34185-what-happened-to-nasass-apollo-1-mission.html#:~:text=The%20high%2Dpressure%20pure%20oxygen,cockpit%20and%20communication%20was%20lost.&text=Damaged%20wires%20were%20found%20to%20be%20the%20cause%20of%20Apollo%201%20fire. |website=LiveScience |date=September 4, 2012 |publisher=Purch |access-date=February 11, 2021}}</ref> The pilots' deaths were attributed to lethal hazards in the early CSM design and conditions of the test, including a pressurized 100 percent [[oxygen]] prelaunch atmosphere, wiring and plumbing flaws, flammable materials used in the cockpit and in the astronauts' flight suits, and an inward-opening hatch that could not be opened quickly in an emergency and not at all with full internal pressure.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=NASA|work=Report of Apollo 204 Review Board|title=Findings, Determinations And Recommendations|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Apollo204/find.html|quote=No single ignition source of the fire was conclusively identified.|date=April 5, 1967|access-date=July 9, 2008|archive-date=December 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231023149/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Apollo204/find.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Apollo1-Crew 01.jpg|left|thumb|[[Apollo 1]] crew, Grissom, [[Ed White (astronaut)|White]], and [[Roger B. Chaffee|Chaffee]]]]Grissom's funeral services and burial at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] were held on January 31, 1967. Dignitaries in attendance included President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], members of the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]], and fellow NASA astronauts, among others. Grissom was interred at [[Arlington National Cemetery]], in [[Arlington County, Virginia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/Cgdncmlzc29tEgF2/ |title=Grissom, Virgil Ivan (Section 3, Grave 2503-E) |work= ANC Explorer|publisher=Arlington National Cemetery |id=(Official website)}}</ref> beside Roger Chaffee.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgdjaGFmZmVlEgVyb2dlcg--/ |title=Chaffee, Roger B. (Section 3, Grave 2502-F) |work= ANC Explorer|publisher=Arlington National Cemetery |id=(Official website)}}</ref> White's remains are interred at the [[United States Military Academy|U.S. Military Academy]] at [[West Point, New York]].{{sfn|Boomhower|2004|pp=315–317}}

[[File:GrissomChaffeeGrave.jpg|thumb|Grissom's and Roger Chaffee's headstones during the NASA Day of Remembrance ceremony in 2013]]

== Legacy ==
After the accident, NASA decided to give the flight the official designation of Apollo 1 and skip to Apollo 4 for the first uncrewed flight of the Saturn V, counting the two uncrewed suborbital tests, [[AS-201]] and [[AS-202|202]], as part of the sequence. The Apollo spacecraft problems were corrected, with [[Apollo 7]], commanded by [[Wally Schirra]], launched on October 11, 1968, more than a year and a half after the Apollo 1 accident. The Apollo program reached its objective of successfully landing men on the Moon on July 20, 1969, with [[Apollo 11]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo1info.html|title=The Apollo 1 Tragedy|publisher=NASA|access-date=April 16, 2017|archive-date=June 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605052827/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo1info.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Dunbar, Brian|title=Apollo 7|publisher=NASA|date=January 9, 2018|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo7.html|access-date=July 9, 2018}} See also: {{cite web|title=Apollo 11 Mission Summary|publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|work=The Apollo Program|url=http://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/apollo/as11/a11sum.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829082429/http://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/apollo/as11/a11sum.htm|archive-date=August 29, 2013|access-date=July 9, 2018}}</ref>

At the time of his death, Grissom had attained the rank of [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]] and had logged a total of 4,600 hours flying time, including 3,500 hours in [[jet airplanes]].<ref name="jscbio" /> Some contend that Grissom could have been selected as one of the astronauts to walk on the Moon. [[Deke Slayton]] wrote that he had hoped for one of the original Mercury astronauts to go to the Moon, noting: "It wasn't just a cut-and-dried decision as to who should make the first steps on the Moon. If I had to select on that basis, my first choice would have been Gus, which both [[Christopher C. Kraft, Jr.|Chris Kraft]] and [[Robert R. Gilruth|Bob Gilruth]] seconded."{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|p=223}} Ultimately, [[Alan Shepard]], one of the original seven NASA astronauts, would receive the honor of commanding the [[Apollo 14]] lunar landing.{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|pp=235–237}}

== ''Liberty Bell 7'' spacesuit controversy ==
[[File:Mercury-Redstone 4 Spacesuit.jpg|thumb|upright|Grissom's [[Project Mercury]] spacesuit on display at the [[U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]]]]
When the [[U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]] opened in 1990, his family lent it the [[spacesuit]] worn by Grissom during [[Mercury-Redstone 4|Mercury 4]] along with other personal artifacts belonging to the astronaut. In 2002, the museum went into bankruptcy and was taken over by a NASA contractor, whereupon the family sought the exhibit's return.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=John|url=http://www.space.com/news/grissom_spacesuit_021120.html|title=Gus Grissom's Family, NASA Fight Over Spacesuit|work=Florida Today|date=November 20, 2002|access-date=May 27, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521023905/http://www.space.com/news/grissom_spacesuit_021120.html|archive-date=May 21, 2008}}</ref> All the artifacts were returned to them except the spacesuit, which NASA claimed was government property.<ref>{{cite news|work=RoadsideAmerica.com|url=http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tnews/NewsItemDisplay.php?Tip_AttrId==7014|title=Luckless Gus Grissom in the hot seat again|date=November 24, 2002|access-date=May 4, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181620/http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tnews/NewsItemDisplay.php?Tip_AttrId=%3D7014|archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref> NASA insisted Grissom got authorization to use the spacesuit for a [[show and tell (education)|show and tell]] at his son's school in 1965 and never returned it, but some of Grissom's family members claimed the astronaut rescued the spacesuit from a scrap heap.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Christopher|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/23/AR2005082301204_pf.html|title=Grissom Spacesuit in Tug of War|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 24, 2005|access-date=May 27, 2007}}</ref> {{as of|December 2016|post=,}} the space suit was part of the Kennedy Space Center Hall of Fame's Heroes and Legends exhibit.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cauley|first=H. M.|title=Kennedy Space Center offers new Heroes and Legends hall, much more|url=http://www.ajc.com/travel/kennedy-space-center-offers-new-heroes-and-legends-hall-much-more/mYIXMsuE129SwIy6D6amjI/|access-date=April 17, 2017|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=December 8, 2016}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
[[File:Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom MSFC-8772558.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Grissom in his Mercury spacesuit]]
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="3"|[[File:USAF Master Astronaut badge.jpg|200px]]
|-
|colspan=3|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Army Good Conduct Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=U.S. Congressional Space Medal of Honor ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=award-star|ribbon=NasaDisRib.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=USA - NASA Excep Rib.png|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Korean Service Medal - Ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=3|type=award-oak|ribbon=Air Force Longevity Service ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Republic of Korea War Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
| colspan="3"|[[Astronaut Badge#U.S. Air Force astronauts|Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings]]<ref name="jscbio" />
|-
| colspan="3"|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|-align=center
|[[Air Medal]] with [[Oak leaf cluster|cluster]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|[[Good Conduct Medal (United States)|Army Good Conduct Medal]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|[[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|-align=center
|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]<ref name="nasabio" /> with one star
|[[NASA Exceptional Service Medal]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|[[American Campaign Medal]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|-align=center
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|[[National Defense Service Medal]]<br />with one star{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|[[Korean Service Medal]]<br />with two stars{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|-
|[[Air Force Longevity Service Award]]<br />with three bronze oak leaves
|[[United Nations Korea Medal]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|[[Korean War Service Medal]]{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}
|}
* [[John J. Montgomery Award]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Astronautical and Aeronautical Events of 1963: Report of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to the Committee on Science and Astronautics|year=1963|publisher=U.S. House of Representatives, 89th Congress|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://history.nasa.gov/AAchronologies/1963.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://history.nasa.gov/AAchronologies/1963.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|465}}

To celebrate his spaceflight in 1961, Grissom was made honorary Mayor of [[Newport News, Virginia]], and a new library was dubbed the Virgil I. Grissom Library in the Denbigh section of Newport News, Virginia.<ref name=newnews>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28881594/daily_press/|title=Astronaut Grissom is Honorary Mayor, Library Gets Name|newspaper=Daily Press|location=Newport News, Virginia|date=July 25, 1961|page=3|via=Newspapers.com|last=Greiff|first=John B.}}</ref>

The airport in Bedford, Indiana, where Grissom flew as a teenager was renamed Virgil I. Grissom Municipal Airport in 1965. A three-ton piece of limestone, inscribed with his name, was unveiled at the airport. His fellow astronauts ribbed him about the name, saying that airports were normally named for dead aviators. Grissom replied, "But this time they've named one for a live one."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28881853/the_indianapolis_star/|title=Bedford Airpor Named in Honor of Grissom|last=Snapp|first=Raymond|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|location=Indianapolis, Indiana|date=November 20, 1965|page=1|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Virgil Grissom Elementary School in Old Bridge, New Jersey, was named for Grissom the year before his death.<ref>{{cite web|work=Old Bridge Township Public Schools|url=http://www.oldbridgeschools.org/grissom/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010603233303/http://www.oldbridgeschools.org/grissom/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 3, 2001|title=Welcome to Virgil Grissom Elementary School|access-date=January 23, 2008}}</ref> His death forced the cancellation of a student project to design a flag to represent Grissom and their school, which would have flown on the mission.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28953803/the_central_new_jersey_home_news/|title=Madison Schools: Living Memorials|newspaper=The Central New Jersey Home News|location=New Brunswick, New Jersey|date=January 28, 1967|page=1|last=Heffernan|first=William|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Grissom was awarded the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] for his Mercury flight and was awarded it a second time for his role in Gemini 3.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31059610/the_palm_beach_post/|title=Medal Winners|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|location=Palm Beach, Florida|page=72|date=August 25, 1966|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The Apollo 1 crew was awarded the medal posthumously in a 1969 presentation of the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] to the Apollo 11 crew.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531557/the_honolulu_advertiser/ |title=Astronauts Awed by the Acclaim |newspaper=The Honolulu Advertiser |location=Honolulu, Hawaii |page=1 |date=August 14, 1969 |last1=Smith |first1=Merriman |agency=UPI |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Grissom's family received the [[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]] in 1978 from President Carter (White's and Chaffee's families received it in 1997).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/SpaceMed|title=Congressional Space Medal of Honor|work=C-SPAN Video Library |publisher=C-SPAN|date=December 17, 1997|access-date=June 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016195856/http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/SpaceMed|archive-date=October 16, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

Grissom was granted an honorary doctorate from [[Florida Institute of Technology]] in 1962, the first-ever awarded by the university.<ref name="ftech">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27580117/florida_today/|title=1st Astronaut Doctorate Given Locally|last=Salamon|first=Milt|date=January 30, 1997|newspaper=Florida Today|location=Cocoa, Florida|page=26|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Grissom was inducted into the [[New Mexico Museum of Space History|International Space Hall of Fame]] in 1981,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=54|title=Second American to travel in space; first person to enter space twice|publisher=New Mexico Museum of Space History|access-date=January 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29986892/albuquerque_journal/|title=Hall to Induct Seven Space Pioneers|newspaper=Albuquerque Journal|location=Albuquerque, New Mexico|date=September 27, 1981|page=53|last1=Harbert|first1=Nancy|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] in 1987.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalaviation.org/enshrinees/|title=National Aviation Hall of fame: Our Enshrinees|publisher=[[National Aviation Hall of Fame]]|access-date=February 10, 2011|archive-date=March 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312033710/http://www.nationalaviation.org/enshrinees/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Grissom was posthumously inducted into the [[United States Astronaut Hall of Fame|U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/virgil-i-gus-grissom/|title=Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom|publisher=Astronaut Scholarship Foundation|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-date=July 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728203418/http://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/virgil-i-gus-grissom/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33222502/victoria_advocate/|title=Mercury Astronauts Dedicate Hall of Fame at Florida Site|newspaper=Victoria Advocate|location=Victoria, Texas|date=May 12, 1990|page=38|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> His wife, [[Betty Grissom|Betty Lavonne Moore]], donated his Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the accompanying museum.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33222839/the_cincinnati_enquirer/|title=Astronaut Hall of Fame is Blast from the Past|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=June 10, 1990|page=66|last1=Clarke|first1=Jay|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Knight News Service}}</ref>

Grissom posthumously received AIAA's Haley Astronautics Award for 1968.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43359351/the_bedford_dailytimes_mail/|title=Grissom Named for Posthumous Award|newspaper=The Bedford Daily-Times Mail|location=Bedford, Indiana|date=March 23, 1968|agency=Associated Press|page=2|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

== Memorials ==
{{quote box
| align = right
| width = 25%
| style = min-width:20em
| quote = If we die, we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.
| salign = left
| source = —Grissom, after his Gemini mission, March 1965<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/attm/rm.br.ea.4.html|title=Early Apollo|access-date=April 3, 2011|date=July 1999|work=Apollo to the Moon: To Reach the Moon – Building a Moon Rocket|publisher=Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524011004/http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/attm/rm.br.ea.4.html|archive-date=May 24, 2011}}</ref>{{efn|The provenance of this quote is uncertain. See {{Harvnb|Leopold|2016|pp=209–214}}.}}
}}
[[File:Apollo 1 KSC Mirror.jpg|thumb|Grissom's name with Roger Chaffee's and Ed White's on the [[Space Mirror Memorial]]]]
[[File:LC34plaque2.jpg|right|thumb|One of two Apollo 1 memorial plaques at [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station]] Launch Complex 34]]
[[File:Apollo1plaque.JPG|right|thumb|Launch Complex 34 plaque]]

The dismantled [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34|Launch Pad 34]] at [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station]] bears two memorial plaques to the crew of Apollo 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmgww.com/historic/white/about/biography.html|title=The Official Site of Edward White, II|access-date=February 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203010706/http://www.cmgww.com/historic/white/about/biography.html|archive-date=December 3, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Kennedy Space Center features a memorial exhibit honoring the Apollo 1 crew in the [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex#Apollo/Saturn V Center|Apollo/Saturn V Center]], which includes artifacts and personal mementos of Grissom, Chaffee, and White. Grissom's name is included on the plaque left on the Moon with the ''[[Fallen Astronaut]]'' statue in 1971 by the crew of [[Apollo 15]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28921156/hartford_courant/|title=2 Added Moonshots Called for by Scott|agency=Associated Press|location=Hartford, Connecticut|newspaper=Harford Courant|date=August 13, 1971|page=5|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The Grissom Memorial, a {{convert|44|ft|m|adj=on}} tall [[Indiana limestone|limestone]] monument representing the Redstone rocket and his Mercury space capsule was dedicated in downtown Mitchell, Indiana, in 1981.{{sfn|Taylor|Stevens|Ponder|Brockman|1989|pp=335–336}} The Virgil I. Grissom Memorial in [[Spring Mill State Park]], near Grissom's hometown of Mitchell, Indiana, was dedicated in 1971, the tenth anniversary of his Mercury flight.{{sfn|Taylor|Stevens|Ponder|Brockman|1989|pp=335–336}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28951760/the_courierjournal/|title=Memorial Dedication Today|newspaper=The Courier-Journal|location=Louisville, Kentucky|date=July 21, 1971|page=40|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The governor declared it a state holiday for the second year in a row.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28951942/journal_and_courier/|title=Grissom Memorial Dedication at Spring Hill Wednesday|agency=UPI|newspaper=Journal and Courier|location=Lafayette, Indiana|date=July 20, 1971|page=8|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The ''Gus Grissom Stakes'' is a thoroughbred horse race run in Indiana each fall; originally held at [[Hoosier Park]] in [[Anderson, Indiana|Anderson]], it was moved to [[Horseshoe Indianapolis]] in [[Shelbyville, Indiana|Shelbyville]] in 2014.{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=264}}

Grissom Island is an [[artificial island]] off of Long Beach, California, created in 1966 for drilling oil (along with White, Chaffee and [[Ted Freeman|Freeman]] Islands).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27734345/the_philadelphia_inquirer/|title=Oil Biz: A Touch of Disney|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|page=14|date=May 27, 1978|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Los Angeles Times Service}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27734805/tampa_bay_times/|title=Is This An Apartment Complex...or an Oil Drilling Island?|newspaper=Tampa Bay Times|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|page=14|last=Gore|first=Robert J.|date=May 19, 1978|via=Newspapers.com|publisher=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{GNIS|243043|Island Grissom}}</ref> Virgil "Gus" Grissom Park opened in 1971 in [[Fullerton, California]]. His widow and son were invited to the dedication ceremony and planted the first large tree in the park.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27734593/independent_presstelegram/|title=Astronaut's Widow Dedicates New Gus Grissom Park|newspaper=Independent Press-Telegram|location=Long Beach, California|date=April 3, 1971|page=46}}</ref> Grissom is named with his Apollo 1 crewmates on the [[Space Mirror Memorial]], which was dedicated in 1991. His son, Gary Grissom, said, "When I was younger, I thought NASA would do something. It's a shame it has taken this long".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27735356/muncie_evening_press/|title=Hoosier Among Astronauts Honored|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Muncie Evening Press|location=Muncie, Indiana|date=October 13, 1989|page=11|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27735498/muncie_evening_press/|title='Space Mirror': Memorial for 15 Dead Astronauts Unveiled at Kennedy Space Center|date=May 10, 1991|newspaper=Muncie Evening Press|location=Muncie, Indiana|agency=Associated Press|last=Dunn|first=Marcia|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

''Navi'' (''Ivan'' spelled backwards), is a seldom-used nickname for the star [[Gamma Cassiopeiae]]. Grissom used this name, plus two others for White and Chaffee, on his Apollo 1 mission planning star charts as a joke, and the succeeding Apollo astronauts kept using the names as a memorial.<ref name="navi1">{{cite web|work=Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal|url=https://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a15/a15.postland.html|title=Post-landing Activities|publisher=NASA}} commentary at 105:11:33</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna26566342|title=Derf, Dnoces, and other strange star names|last=Rao|first=Joe|date=September 5, 2008|publisher=NBC News|work=Space.com|access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref> [[Grissom (crater)|Grissom crater]] is one of several located on the far side of the Moon named for Apollo astronauts. The name was created and used unofficially by the Apollo 8 astronauts and was adopted as the official name by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1970.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27736319/the_fresno_bee_the_republican/|title=Lunar Backside Craters Get Apollo Names|location=Fresno, California|page=8|date=December 26, 1968|agency=UPI|newspaper=The Fresno Bee|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2255|title=Grissom|publisher=USGS|access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref> [[2161 Grissom]] is a [[main belt asteroid]] that was discovered in 1963 and officially designated in 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2161;old=0;orb=0;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#discovery|title=2161 Grissom (1963 UD)|publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)|access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref> The name references his launch date of July 21, 1961.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27736345/the_tribune/|title=Asteroid Named After Grissom|newspaper=The Tribune|location=Seymour, Indiana|agency=Associated Press|date=March 30, 1981|page=12|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> ''Grissom Hill'', one of the ''[[Apollo 1 Hills]]'' on [[Mars]] was named by NASA on January 27, 2004, the 37th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-012704a.html|title=Fallen Apollo 1 astronauts honored on Mars|publisher=collectSPACE|access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27736288/journal_and_courier/|title=Space Experts Say Apollo 1 Deaths Not in Vain|last=Wallheimer|first=Brian|newspaper=Journal and Courier|location=Lafayette, Indiana|page=2|date=October 23, 2007}}</ref>

Bunker Hill Air Force Base in Peru, Indiana, was renamed on May 12, 1968, to ''Grissom Air Force Base''. During the dedication ceremony, his son said, "Of all the honors he won, none would please him more than this one today."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28881930/the_south_bend_tribune/|title=Rename Base for Grissom|newspaper=The South Bend Tribune|location=South Bend, Indiana|page=4|date=May 13, 1968|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> In 1994, it was again renamed to ''[[Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base|Grissom Air Reserve Base]]'' following the USAF's realignment program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grissom.afrc.af.mil/questions/|work=Grissom Air Reserve Base, USAF|title=Questions About Grissom|access-date=January 23, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103114352/http://www.grissom.afrc.af.mil/questions/|archive-date=November 3, 2007}}</ref> The three-letter identifier of the [[VHF omnidirectional range|VHF Omni Directional Radio Range]] (VOR) located at [[Grissom Air Reserve Base]] is GUS. In 2000, classes of the [[United States Air Force Academy]] began selecting a [[USAFA Class exemplar|Class Exemplar]] who embodies the type of person they strive to be. The class of 2007 selected Grissom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.usafa.org/Connect/ClassExemplars|title=USAFA Class Exemplars|publisher=United States Air Force Academy|access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref> An academic building was renamed Grissom Hall in 1968 at the former [[Chanute Air Force Base]], Rantoul, Illinois, where [[LGM-30 Minuteman|Minuteman missile]] maintenance training was conducted. It was one of five buildings renamed for deceased Air Force personnel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28882094/the_pantagraph/|title=Chanute AFB to Honor Five Heroes on Armed Forces Day|newspaper=The Pantagraph|location=Bloomington, Illinois|date=May 14, 1968|page=7|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28882059/gibson_city_courier/|title=Armed Forces Day at Chanute AF Base|location=Gibson City, Illinois|newspaper=Gibson City Courier|date=May 15, 1975|page=11|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The Virgil I. Grissom Museum, dedicated in 1971 by Governor [[Edgar Whitcomb]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28880685/the_republic/|title=Grissom Memorial to be Set|date=July 10, 1971|page=10|newspaper=The Republic|location=Columbus, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> is located just inside the entrance to [[Spring Mill State Park]] in Mitchell, Indiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/5580.htm|title=DNR: Gus Grissom Memorial|access-date=July 24, 2015|archive-date=July 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724205214/http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/5580.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Molly Brown'' was transferred to be displayed in the museum in 1974.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28880510/the_journal_herald/|title=Apollo 15's Module at AF Museum|newspaper=The Journal Herald|location=Dayton, Ohio|date=October 24, 1974|page=44|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> His boyhood home in Mitchell, Indiana, is located on Grissom Avenue. The street was renamed in his honor after his Mercury flight.<ref name="fw4465">{{cite news|first=John W.|last=Wasik|work=Family Weekly|page=4|publisher=The Herald-Tribune|title=Virgil Grissom and John Young: Our Trail-Blazing 'Twin' Astronauts|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1774&dat=19650404&id=AZscAAAAIBAJ&pg=5001,1212947|date=April 4, 1965|access-date=January 28, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28882159/videttemessenger_of_porter_county/|title=Welsh, Hovde Head Group Honoring Virgil Grissom|last=Dibell|first=Kathie|date=June 16, 1962|newspaper=Vidette-Messenger of Porter County|location=Valparaiso, Indiana|page=1|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

=== Schools ===
[[Florida Institute of Technology]] dedicated Grissom Hall, a residence hall, in 1967.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28954683/the_orlando_sentinel/|title=FIT Dedicates 'Grissom Hall'|newspaper=The Orlando Sentinel|location=Orlando, Florida|date=January 31, 1967|page=16|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> [[State University of New York at Fredonia]] dubbed their new residence hall Grissom Hall in 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fredonia.edu/student-life/residence-life/grissom|title=Grissom Hall|access-date=February 28, 2019|publisher=State University of New York at Fredonia}}</ref> Grissom Hall, dedicated in 1968 at [[Purdue University]], was the home of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics for several decades. It is currently home of the Purdue department of Industrial Engineering.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/2005/051014.Celebrate.iegifts.html|work=Purdue University News|title=Purdue industrial engineering kicks off Grissom renovation, celebrates gifts|date=October 14, 2005|first=Cynthia|last=Sequin|access-date=January 23, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28881765/journal_and_courier/|title=Grissom, Chaffee Dedications to Honor Fallen Astronauts|newspaper=Journal and Courier|location=Lafayette, Indiana|date=April 26, 1968|page=14|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Virgil I. Grissom Elementary School was built in Houston, Texas, in 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.houstonisd.org/Page/72954|title=Grissom at a Glance|publisher=Virgil Ivan Grissom Elementary School|access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref> Virgil Grissom Elementary School in Princeton, Iowa was one of four schools in Iowa named after astronauts in late 1967.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28953184/quadcity_times/|title=Fulton Will Attend N. Scott Dedication|last=Lazio|first=Virginia|newspaper=Quad-City Times|date=November 7, 1967|page=3|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27735623/quadcity_times/|title=Shuttle Anniversary Touches Student's Hearts|newspaper=Quad-City Times|location=Davenport, Iowa|page=3|last=Bustos|first=Cheryl|date=January 29, 1987|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Grissom's family members attended the 1968 dedication of Virgil I. Grissom Middle School in Mishawaka, Indiana.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28945741/the_south_bend_tribune/|title=P-H-M Corp Lauded at Grissom School Dedication|newspaper=The South Bend Tribune|location=South Bend, Indiana|date=October 7, 1968|last=Miller|first=John D.|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> School No. 7 in Rochester, New York, was named for Grissom in April 1968.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25387576/democrat_and_chronicle/|title=Naming of New School No. 7|newspaper=Democrat and Chronicle|date=April 5, 1968|page=29|via=Newspapers.com|location=Rochester, New York}}</ref> Devault Elementary School in Gary, Indiana, was renamed Grissom Elementary School in 1969 after Devault was convicted of conspiring to forge purchase orders.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28945031/the_evening_sun/|title=School Named for Astronaut|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The Evening Sun|location=Baltimore, Maryland|page=4}}</ref> Virgil I. Grissom Middle School was dedicated in November 1969 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://school.wcskids.net/grissom/about-us/|title=About Us|publisher=Virgil I. Grissom Middle School|access-date=February 27, 2019|archive-date=December 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203215432/http://school.wcskids.net/grissom/about-us/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Virgil I. Grissom High School]] was built in 1969 in Huntsville, Alabama.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://whnt.com/2018/08/24/sidewalk-on-old-grissom-high-campus-holds-40-year-old-memories/|title=Sidewalk on Old Grissom High campus holds 40-year-old memories|date=August 24, 2018|last=Whitmire|first=Olivia|publisher=WHNT 19 News|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref> The school board in the Hegewisch community of Chicago, Illinois, voted to name their new school under construction Virgil I. Grissom Elementary School in March 1969.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/clip/28958122/chicago_tribune/|title=School Council Plan Reported a Failure|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|location=Chicago, Illinois|date=March 27, 1969|page=14|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Grissom Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was founded in 1969<ref>{{cite web|url=https://grissom.tulsaschools.org/about-us/history|title=History|publisher=Tulsa Public Schools|access-date=July 13, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/grissom-celebrates-th-anniversary/article_046ee6e4-8a80-5a63-aad6-b979fb580055.html|title=Grissom Celebrates 25th Anniversary|newspaper=Tulsa World|location=Tulsa, Oklahoma|date=September 21, 1994|last=Kovar|first=Claudia}}</ref> and dedicated by Betty Grissom in 1970.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28951619/the_courierjournal/|title=Mrs. Grissom to Aid in School Dedication|newspaper=The Courier-Journal|location=Louisville, Kentucky|date=April 18, 1970|page=3|agency=Associated Press|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Grissom Memorial Elementary School was dedicated in 1973 in Muncie, Indiana.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28946197/the_star_press/|title=Grissom School Dedication is October 28|newspaper=The Star Press|location=Muncie, Indiana|date=October 17, 1973|page=5|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Virgil I. Grissom Middle School was founded in Tinley Park, Illinois, in 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ksd140.org/grissom/about-us|title=About Us|publisher=Virgil I. Grissom Middle School|access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref>

Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom Elementary School was operated by the Department of Defense Dependents Schools at the former [[Clark Air Base]], Philippines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.whoa.org/history/|title=The History of Clark Air Base Schools|website=www.whoa.org|access-date=April 3, 2019}}</ref> Originally named the Wurtsmith Hill School, it was renamed on November 14, 1968.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.whoa.org/publications/books/rosmer/302.html|title=Table of Contents – An Annotated Pictorial History of Clark Air Base|last=Rosmer|first=David L.|date=1986|website=www.whoa.org|page=312|access-date=April 3, 2019}}</ref> It housed 3rd and 4th grade students.  The school was severely damaged by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-24-mn-790-story.html|title=Volcano Clouds Future of Strategic Clark Base : Philippines: Mt. Pinatubo may remain active for up to three years, endangering lives and equipment.|date=June 24, 1991|last=Drogin|first=Bob|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
* Virgil I. Grissom Junior High School 226, South Ozone Park, Queens, New York City<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32005177/daily_news/|title=Pupils' D.C. Trip is Memorial to Grissom, Hero Astronaut|last1=Pugh|first1=Thomas|newspaper=Daily News|location=New York City|date=July 2, 1980|page=782}}</ref>

== Film and television ==
Grissom has been noted and remembered in many film and television productions. Before he became widely known as an astronaut, the film ''[[Air Cadet (1951 film)|Air Cadet]]'' (1951) starring [[Richard Long (actor)|Richard Long]] and [[Rock Hudson]] briefly featured Grissom early in the movie as a U.S. Air Force candidate for flight school at [[Randolph Air Force Base|Randolph Field]], San Antonio, Texas.<ref>{{IMDb name|0342628}}</ref> Grissom was depicted by [[Fred Ward]] in the film ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'' (1983)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28881681/the_boston_globe/|title=Betty Grissom, at 91; Husband Died in Apollo Fire|newspaper=The New York Times|location=New York|via=The Boston Globe|page=C9|last=Seelye|first=Katharine}}</ref> and (very briefly) in the film ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'' (1995) by Steve Bernie.<ref>{{cite book|title=DC Goes to the Movies: A Unique Guide to the Reel Washington|year= 2003|last1=Rosales|first1=Jean|last2=Jobe|first2=Michael|isbn=978-0-595-26797-2|publisher=Writer's Club Press|place=New York}}</ref>{{rp|43}} He was portrayed in the 1998 [[HBO]] [[miniseries]] ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)|From the Earth to the Moon]]'' (1998) by [[Mark Rolston]].{{sfn|Vito|Tropea|2010|p=195}} Actor Kevin McCorkle played Grissom in the third-season finale of the [[NBC]] television show ''[[American Dreams]]''.<ref>{{IMDb name|0566406|name=Kevin McCorkle}}</ref> [[Bryan Cranston]] played Grissom as a variety-show guest in the film ''[[That Thing You Do!]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/leonoraepstein/9-of-bryan-cranstons-forgotten-roles|title=9 of Bryan Cranston's Forgotten Roles|website=Buzzfeed|date=August 26, 2013|last=Epstein|first=Leonora|access-date=February 23, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/19/showbiz/emmys-2013-bryan-cranston-man-of-the-moment/index.html|title=Emmys 2013: Bryan Cranston, man of the moment|publisher=CNN|last=Leopold|first=Todd|date=September 19, 2013|access-date=April 28, 2018}}</ref> Actor Joel Johnstone portrays Gus Grissom in the 2015 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] TV series ''[[The Astronaut Wives Club]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/04/joel-johnstone-joins-abcs-the-astronaut-wives-club-rahart-adams-in-nickelodeons-every-witch-way-719988/|title=Joel Johnstone Joins ABC's 'The Astronaut Wives Club'; Rahart Adams in Nickelodeon's 'Every Witch Way'|date=April 25, 2014|access-date=February 23, 2017|website=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref> In 2016 Gus Grissom was included in the narrative of the movie ''[[Hidden Figures]]''. In 2018, he was portrayed by [[Shea Whigham]] in ''[[First Man (film)|First Man]]''.<ref name="Whigham">{{cite news|last=Jensen|first=Erin|url=https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/usa_today/christian-bale-s-vice-co-star-shea-whigham-was-blown/article_0368dc48-6610-501e-8892-d60715767a32.html|title=Christian Bale's 'Vice' co-star Shea Whigham was blown away with Dick Cheney makeover|work=[[The Herald-Mail]]|date=October 4, 2018|access-date=December 23, 2018}}</ref> In 2020's [[Disney+]] miniseries ''[[The Right Stuff (TV series)|The Right Stuff]]'', Grissom is portrayed by Michael Trotter.

In the 1984 film ''[[Star Trek III: The Search for Spock]]'', the [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]] starship USS ''Grissom'' is named for Grissom.<ref name="okuda">{{cite AV media|people=[[Michael Okuda|Okuda, Michael]]|date=October 22, 2002|title=Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Special Collector's Edition: Text commentary|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures]]|medium=DVD; Disc 1/2}}</ref> Another USS ''Grissom'' was featured in a 1990 episode of the TV series ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'',<ref name="Toys">{{cite episode|title=The Most Toys|episode-link=The Most Toys|series=Star Trek: The Next Generation|first=Gene|last=Roddenberry|season=3|number=22|date=May 1990}}</ref> and was mentioned in a 1999 episode of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''.<ref>{{cite episode|title=Field of Fire|episode-link=Field of Fire (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|series=Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|last=Berman|first=Rick|season=7|number=13|date=February 1999}}</ref> The character [[Gil Grissom]] in the CBS television series ''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]'' and the character [[Virgil Tracy]] in the British television series ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'' are also named after the astronaut.{{sfn|Burgess|2015|p=232}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Gabettas|first=Chris|work=Idaho State University Magazine|publisher=Idaho State University|title=William Petersen: From ISU to CSI|url=http://www.isu.edu/magazine/spring10/from-isu-to-csi.shtml|date=Spring 2010|volume=20|issue=2|access-date=October 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414054526/http://www.isu.edu/magazine/spring10/from-isu-to-csi.shtml|archive-date=April 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> NASA footage, including Grissom's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, was released in high definition on the [[Discovery Channel]] in June 2008 in the television series ''[[When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions]]''.<ref name="Ordinary Supermen" />

When Grissom died, he was in the process of writing a book about Gemini.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28945483/the_minneapolis_star/|title=Excerpts from Gus Grissom's 'Gemini' Story|newspaper=The Minneapolis Star|location=Minneapolis, Minnesota|date=May 13, 1968|page=12B|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==
* {{cite book|last=Boomhower|first=Ray E.|title=Gus Grissom: The Lost Astronaut|series=Indiana Biography Series|year=2004|publisher=Indiana Historical Society|location=Indianapolis|isbn=0-87195-176-2|url=https://archive.org/details/gusgrissomlostas00boom}}
* {{cite book|title=Fallen Astronauts: Heroes Who Died Reaching the Moon|last1=Burgess|first1=Colin|author-link=Colin Burgess (author)|last2=Doolan|first2=Kate|last3=Vis|first3=Bert|publisher=University of Nebraska|location=Lincoln, Nebraska|isbn=978-0-8032-1332-6|date=2008}}
* {{cite book|last=Burgess|first=Colin|title=Liberty Bell 7: the suborbital Mercury flight of Virgil I. Grissom|location=Cham|publisher=Springer-Praxis books in space exploration|year=2014|isbn=978-3-319-04390-6|oclc=868042180}}
* {{cite book|title=Aurora 7: The Mercury Space Flight of M. Scott Carpenter|first=Colin|last=Burgess|publisher=[[Springer Praxis Books]]|year=2015|isbn=978-3-319-20438-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1d1CgAAQBAJ&q=thunderbirds%20characters%20named%20after%20astronauts&pg=PA232}}
* {{cite book|last=Collins|first=Michael|title=Carrying the Fire: an Astronaut's Journey|isbn=978-0-8154-1028-7|publisher=Rowman and Littlefield|date=2001|url=https://archive.org/details/carryingfire00mich}}
* {{cite book|last1=French|first1=Francis|last2=Burgess|first2=Colin|title=Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961–1965|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|year=2007|location=Lincoln|isbn=978-0-8032-1146-9|url=https://archive.org/details/intothatsilentse00fren_0}}
* {{cite book|last=Leopold|first=George|title=Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom|year=2016|publisher=Purdue University Press|location=West Lafayette, Indiana|isbn=978-1-55753-745-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Shayler|first=David|title=Gemini: Steps to the Moon|location=Chichester, United Kingdom|publisher=Praxis Publishing|year=2001|isbn=1-85233-405-3}}
* {{cite book|last1=Slayton|first1=Donald K.|title=Deke!: U.S. Manned Space from Mercury to the Shuttle|author-link1=Deke Slayton|last2=Cassutt|first2=Michael|author-link2=Michael Cassutt|year=1994|publisher=Forge: St. Martin's Press|location=New York City|isbn=0-312-85503-6|lccn=94-2463|oclc=29845663|url=https://archive.org/details/dekeusmannedspac00slay}}
* {{cite book|last1=Taylor|first1=Robert M. Jr.|last2=Stevens|first2=Errol Wayne|first3=Mary Ann|last3=Ponder|first4=Paul|last4=Brockman|title=Indiana: A New Historical Guide|publisher=Indiana Historical Society|year=1989|location=Indianapolis|isbn=0-87195-048-0}}
* {{cite book|title=Epic Television Miniseries: A Critical History|last1=Vito|first1=John De|last2=Tropea|first2=Frank|isbn=978-0-7864-4149-5|date=2010|publisher=McFarland and Company|place=Jefferson, N.C.}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite book|last=Bredeson|first=Carmen|title=Gus Grissom: A Space Biography|series=Countdown to Space|location=Springfield, NJ|publisher=Enslow Publishers|year=1998|isbn=0-89490-974-6|lccn=97-21343 |ref=none}} (For children.)
* {{cite book|last=Greenberger|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Greenberger|title=Gus Grissom: The Tragedy of ''Apollo 1''|series=The Library of Astronaut Biographies|location=New York|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|year=2004|isbn=0-8239-4458-1|lccn=2003011980 |ref=none}} (For children.)
* {{cite book|last=Grissom|first=Virgil I.|title=Gemini: A Personal Account of Man's Venture into Space|url=https://archive.org/details/geminipersonalac00gris|url-access=registration|year=1968|publisher=MacMillan Publishing Company|location=New York|isbn=0-02-545800-0|oclc=442293 |ref=none}}

== External links ==

{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote|Gus Grissom}}
* [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28944636/the_central_new_jersey_home_news/ Letter from Grissom thanking students for naming their school after him]
* {{cite web|last=Beddingfield|first=Sam|url=http://www.ispyspace.com/Gus_Grissom.html|title=Astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom|website=SpySpace|ref=none|access-date=December 19, 2007|archive-date=March 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328165714/http://www.ispyspace.com/Gus_Grissom.html|url-status=dead}}
* [https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/2004-44628hjpg Grissom's Gemini G3-C Pressure Suit], National Air and Space Museum
* [https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/pressure-suit-mercury-grissom-liberty-bell-7-flown Grissom's ''Liberty Bell 7'' Pressure Suit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618092906/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/pressure-suit-mercury-grissom-liberty-bell-7-flown |date=June 18, 2019 }}, National Air and Space Museum
* [https://indianahistory.org/wp%2Dcontent/uploads/gus%2Dgrissom%2Dcollection%2D1.pdf "Gus Grissom Collection, 1960–1967, N.D."], at the [[Indiana Historical Society]], Indianapolis
* [http://sen.com/videos/gus-grissom "Gus Grissom ''Liberty Bell 7'' Flight"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730202619/http://sen.com/videos/gus-grissom |date=July 30, 2018 }} (video), Sen Corporation, Ltd.
* {{cite web|author=IHS Staff|title=Virgil "Gus" Grissom|publisher=[[Indiana Historical Society]]|url=http://www.indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Gus-Grissom-Essay.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Gus-Grissom-Essay.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|access-date=July 30, 2018 |ref=none}}
* [https://airandspace.si.edu/collections/search/Virgil%20(Gus)%20I.%20Grissom Virgil (Gus) I. Grissom collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618093221/https://airandspace.si.edu/collections/search/Virgil%2520(Gus)%2520I.%2520Grissom |date=June 18, 2019 }} at the Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grissom, Gus}}
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