Virgil “Gus” Grissom (Lieutenant Colonel, USAF) became the second American to fly into space…and his Mercury spacecraft is now on display at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS, through the end of 2020!

On July 21, 1961, Grissom launched aboard the Mercury-Redstone 4 (aka “Liberty Bell 7” or LB7) from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After an historic and successful 15-minute suborbital flight, the splashdown of LB7 became a story of survival. Once in the water the hatch of the spacecraft malfunctioned and the craft quickly filled with water. Grissom fought for his life as helicopters tried to save LB7. Grissom was rescued, but sadly after many attempts at recovery, LB7 sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, where it was recovered in 1999. During the restoration process (which was completed by the Cosmosphere), technicians found a treasure trove of artifacts including a signal mirror, dollar bill, and a bar of Dial soap…still in the package.

Fun fact: the Mercury-Redstone name refers to the Mercury capsules, which were launched atop Redstone rockets. Each Mercury Astronaut followed the pilot’s tradition of naming their aircrafts, and included the number “7” on each selection to commemorate the original 7 Astronauts. Grissom named his spacecraft LB7 after to the capsule’s bell shape, and “Liberty’s” synonymous meaning to the word freedom. As an homage to the original Liberty Bell, the spacecraft included a “crack” painted on the side.

This week, plan your 4th of July Staycation at the Cosmosphere! Experience spectacular stories of achievement in U.S. history by getting up close and personal with REAL spacecraft and artifacts. This week, we’re featuring stories about our new X-Plane Gallery, Liberty Bell 7, Apollo 13 Odyssey, and newly displayed artifacts from the personal collection of Neil Armstrong. (Photo: Cosmosphere)