My Hero, Gus Grissom
"If we die, we want people to accept it. We're 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." -Gus Grissom
Born on April 3, 1926 in Mitchell, Indiana, his real name was Virgil Ivan Grissom. But with a long, different name he was not fond of, he went by Gus. Such a humble name is what sprouted the roots of a modest man. Since his first plane flight when he was 7, he was fasinated by flying. So he worked hard all his life to make the money to go to Purdue Univerisity. This was the first major goal he completed in his life, with the help of his wife, Betty, who supported him all through his life. With this degree, he was able to join the Air Force, and NASA.
Then, on April 13, 1959, Gus was announced as a member of the Mercury 7, the first Astronauts for NASA. In the Liberty Bell 7, he became the second man of the free world to venture into space. When went in the Molly Brown for Gemini 3, he was the first man to travel into space twice.
Then, on the morning of January 27, 1967, the accident happened. During the "plugs-out" test, a spark was lit inside the pure oxygen system, causing a fire to rip through the capsule, killing Grissom, as well Ed White, the first man to walk in space, and Rodger Chaffee, the rookie astronaut of the misson, who would have had his first mission on Apollo 1.
Gus was going to be the first man on the moon. History shows that NASA wanted one of the orginal Mercury 7 to have the honor, and Gus was the only one still flying with NASA.
Even today, almost 40 years later, January 27 is a somber day. We all look at the passing of 3 great men, one of which is my hero, the one I aspire to be.
