The Real Truth About America's Second Man in Space
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- Опубліковано 21 лис 2024
- What most people know about Astronaut Gus Grissom's Mercury space flight is a function of the 1983 movie “The Right Stuff,” based on Tom Wolfe’s book of the same name. But is Hollywood's portrayal of the fate of Liberty Bell 7 accurate?
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Gus Grissom is an American hero and deserves to remembered as such. His death with White and Chaffee was a national tragedy.
@@thelefthandedshooter381 very true.
I remember that day, a Terrible attitude of disregarding proper safety regimen.
My grandfather was an aerospace engineer and he thought that had the Apollo 1 fire not occurred, Grissom would likely have been chosen to be the first man on the moon.
Apollo 1 will always fly.
When I was a teenager, I visited the Gus Grissom memorial at Spring Mill State Park right next to Mitchell. It was very moving, and respectful. It filled us with peace.
Thanks for helping to set the record straight on Gus Grissom.
Indeed! Amen to THAT!
@@Sixerfixer-i7lI never believed that Gus panicked. There were No chickens in the Astronaut program. PERIOD!
@@michaelslater6839 Yes, but there were a few ducks...
@@JosephHewes-mm1bc 😅😂😅
It's sad. Why would he lie and why wouldn't they trust an astronaut FFS.
Good job Ward. Gus didn't deserve the bad reputation the book and movie gave him. And it was the first time I heard about the contribution of static discharge on a component that wasn't properly tested before. Well done sir!
Actually it was just the movie. The book did him right.
I actually liked the movie till I read the book. Then, I didn’t like the movie much. There are several things the movie changed for the sake of drama. The movie also left out the best part. Gordo’s complete flight. They cut it way early.
@@lorentzinvariant7348 You are right, I think the movie extrapolated the feeling that the book attributes only to “Edwards' people”
@@lorentzinvariant7348agree 100%! It would have been amazing to see gordo full flight in the movie
I cannot recommend the book highly enough. The movie? Probably never watch it again.
Ward,
Thank you for this. Gus Grissom deserves a clean record of his impressive life.
It wasn't just Wally Schirra. IIRC, to a man, ALL of the surviving Mercury 7 astronauts vehemently defended Gus Grissom after the film came out. I think they would have appreciated how you put your NavAir Safety Center hat back on when you did this review.
And, clearly, NASA didn't think he, "screwed the pooch." IMHO, the best evidence of that is that, if they had, he never would have flown again, let alone been named as Mission Commander of Gemini 3 and Apollo 1.
Excellent five-minute brief, Sir. Thanks, and Bravo Zulu.
I agree with you though I would like to mention that Vice President Lyndon Johnson thought that Grissom should have been taken out of the program. The other 6 members banded together against Johnson’s position and LBJ backed off. Too bad that was not done agains President Johnson a few years later when he thought of the wacky idea to put combat troops in Vietnam.
@@scottrichardson8158 There's a sarcastic FITREP that I like to quote about people like LBJ. IIRC, it goes something like this:
"This officer is incapable of leading a three-year-old to the toidy. He is incompetent to manage a fart in a whirlwind. He is unqualified to administer an enema. He is unfit for command of the USS Tidy-Bowl.
.."
"It is the undersigned considered judgment that this officer is not worth shit. The undersigned respectfully, but urgently, recommends that this officer not be considered for command, and that this officerbe separated and flushed from the Naval Service at the earliest opportunity.
@@scottrichardson8158
The "wacky" idea to put combat troops in Vietnam was Kennedys idea and not Johnsons, it's why Kennedy OK'd the assassination of South Vietnams president at the time who wanted US support in the form of money and weapons but didn't want US troops in his country (except advisors, ie Green Beret and the whatnot, he was OK with that).
It's a myth that Kennedy was going to withdraw support and the advisors that were there at the time, it comes from something he said in a TV interview that was nothing more than a threat directed at South Vietnams president that he either take the whole deal, regular troops and all, or he could forget about any US support, but it was a bluff and South Vietnams president knew it and called Kennedy on the bluff by still refusing to allow regular US troops in his country, he knew if Kennedy pulled the support he'd look soft on communism which was a hot topic at the time, after calling Kennedy on his bluff Kennedy got word from the CIA station chief in Saigon that the high ranking Generals in the South Vietnamese military planned a coup and wanted to know if Kennedy wanted it stopped, he said no but wanted it done as quietly and professionally as possible and was incensed when pictures of South Vietnams president with his head blown off in the back of an armored personnel carrier were on the front page of newspapers all across the world, which just goes to show you if you want something done right you gotta do it yourself.
Just like the space program Johnson didn't want US troops in Vietnam or 10 billion dollars spent on the moon, but both things were a part of Kennedys legacy and after stepping into the presidency the way Johnson did he didn't want to go against either one, it would have been political suicide at the time to oppose anything that was a part of Kennedys legacy after his assassination, but if Johnson would have had things his way all the money spent on both would have gone towards his "Great Society" dream.
That's the reality of how Johnsons administration started out, he wasn't elected into office he stepped over the body of a beloved president who was slain and he knew one misstep would kill every bit of political capital he had, so he had to go along with getting troops into Vietnam to fight communism and had to support the space program, to go against either would have cost him an election that was just around the corner, don't forget, the Gulf of Tonkin thing was just before the first election he had to win to keep from being the shortest term president of the 20th century .
@@dukecraig2402get some well deserved rest big buddy ! Damn - really !
Kennedy picked Johnson as his running mate to win in the great state of Texas ! All about money
And power - $$$ Both men were uninterested goofs , looking for power , money , & pussy .
Sad but true - I watched the show happen . Then went to war / work . Now : pain 😅
My cousin John Hines quit the astronaut program when Gus Grissom died in the Apollo fire. They were best friends. Now they are all gone.
I live in the Huntsville area. We used to schools named for White, Chaffee and Grissom, but Ed White Middle School is closed now. The other two are still operating.
Was your cousin John Hines an astronaut in 1967? Not a name I've heard before.
@@thomasneal4775 No, He was in training when the fire occurred, John went on to fly the F-105 Thud,2 years in and over Nam, never put a scratch on his plane. He was quite a man.
They're not gone. They are home.
In college I interned/worked in the "clean room" at Mac and met Gus Grissom twice. He came across to as a no-nonsense type and was considered a good engineer. Some of the crew at the Cape nicknamed him "Gruesome Gus", but only behind his back. I always felt he was a scapegoat on the sinking of Liberty Bell and thank you for your coverage.
Thanks Mooch!
@BlackCreek was there a feeling he was a scapegoat in real life - your experience- or was it spawned by the movie?
He wasn't a scapegoat, he quite obviously was cleared of any wrongdoing after a NASA investigation or he wouldn't have remained in the space program and certainly wouldn't have been the commander of Apollo 1 much less his Gemini flights.
The movie is 100% accurate wherein it portrays the events when they happened, it's not a documentary that omitted that he was cleared later, it simply portrays things THEN, at that time, which is correct in that at that time there were suspicions that he screwed up, hence it's correct for July of 1961.
Why don't people get that?
Retired 81 year old attorney here. I served honorably in the U.S. Air Force
from 1962 to 1966. It was my distinct pleasure and honor to meet Gus
Grissom personally, and shake his hand, in 1963. It was a wonderful
experience for me, one which I will never forget. He was a real gentleman!
That’s really incredible thank you for sharing that sir
Epic story really think it was static electricity from the chopper contact pole that set off the pyros hatch
@@gerry-p9x
Yea, and all that was already known before the movie was made, but here's the thing, at no point does the movie maker's take people on a ride through time, the movie is set at the time back then, when the events happened.
So why is everyone getting in such a twist about Grissom having been suspected of screwing the pooch in the immediate aftermath of the event? Because that's exactly what happened, none of the other characters get a time jump forward, Alan Shepard going through the heartbreak of being grounded when he developed an inner ear problem isn't portrayed, because it's set THEN, not in the future and the majority of the people who'd have watched it in 1983 knew Grissom was cleared by the investigation and went on to fly in the Gemini flights and the subsequent Apollo 1 tragedy, the film makers can't be held responsible for how people look at things years later, because it's a movie and not a history lesson.
None of this getting worked up over it makes any sense.
The Right Stuff is entertainment, not history. It's a shame so many people think it's true. Gus deserves better. Thanks for setting the record straight.
When that came out I simply refused to watch it just because from childhood I used to avidly read and watch everything I could about both aviation and the space program. And already saw too much hype and BS just in the commercials.
Its Hollywood.
You make it sound as if the movie portrayed the important bits wrong, when it didnt. The rumors started in reality, the movie doesn't claim Gus blew the hatch, it mostly deals with the aftermath. That it did not convey the minute details of what lead to the situation isnt the most important thing of the plot, the fallout for him was. In reality he record was set straight at a later time, hence why the movie did not deal with that.
The movie did Grissom horrible disservice.
@@Chilly_Billy the actual event that they portrayed did that, not the movie itself. I guess they should have just skipped over that part huh.
If an astronaut screwed up, he did not fly again. Guss flew on Gemini and at the time Guss died he was first in line to be the first man on the moon. NASA had 110% confidence in Guss Grissom. He did it right.
Thumbs down for not being able to spell the nickname of the guy you are praising. Its mentioned (and spelled correctly) only about 10000 times in the comments - so no excuse.
@@Paul1958R Big deal. His point is spot-on.
He also had a huge role in design and development of the Gemini spacecraft. It was nicknamed the Gusmobile because he was so involved in it.
Well, other than the misspelling of Virgil Ivan Grissom's nickname, I agree with you. However, I believe he should have been “rotated” off the program after his Gemini flight. He had proven himself in that mission and there was no real reason for him to remain and every reason for him to be promoted out of the program to another position.
*role@@usethenoodle
The static build up was a constant issue in helicopter operations. Not only had I been shocked during SAR missions in the CG, but on one medivac of a ten year old boy from a charter boat off Southern California a member of the crew on the boat, after being briefed to allow the basket to contact the deck before handling it, TWICE (second hoist was the boy's father) grabbed the rescue basket before it made contact. Both times I witnessed him react to getting shocked along with blue sparks in his hair (twilight hours).
That's hilarious. Especially the fact it happened twice after being warned, lol. 😄😄
Excellent vid! Thanks for helping to educate and enlighten the masses. NASA wouldn't have given Gus the 2nd Mercury, 1st Gemini, and 1st Apollo if they didn't trust him. "'Ole Gus, He did alright!"
Excellent point for sure……unfortunately the operators manuals to all aircraft are written in blood……also, like a previous comment, the movie ‘The Right Stuff’ was for entertainment not a documentary.
That story about Gus panicking was totally absurd. I’m glad you made the effort to set the record straight.
Exactly. He was a test pilot flying and pushing aircraft beyond their limits. Him panicking makes no sense.
As a young kid I remember watching Liberty Bell 7’s accident. Before he even got on board the carrier the Navy was saying it was Gus’s fault. Nothing was ever said about him almost drowning. The “Right Stuff” only seemed to accentuate that. I always figured that there was more to the real story.
I don’t ever recall media coverage of him receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor for space. He always seemed to get the raw end of things.
Thank You for doing the research and informing us!
At the Air Force honored him by renaming Bunker Hill AFB, IN to Grissom AFB, IN.
The Navy wanted to make sure they didn't get any blame at all for something that sank when they were in charge of it. If Gus were a Navy guy, surely they would have come up with something else. LOL
I stayed home from high school to watch the live broadcast of Liberty Bell take off, and the recovery of Gus Grissom. The recovery gave this teenager tons of anxiety. Since then Gus Grissom has been my all-time favorite astronaut.
On a 7-day bike ride to various Indiana state parks,we rolled into Spring Mill just outside Mitchell; located just inside the park is the Gus Grissom Memorial museum. Thanks for covering Gus' history.
Thanks for the info about the museum. Star Fleet named one it’s starships “Grissom” in honor of Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom!! Oh, okay, I know that is fiction (fantasy) but oddly enough more people know about that starship than know about the real Gus Grissom Memorial museum. Thanks for the info, again, as it is the first time I had even heard of that museum!!!.
@@scottrichardson8158 I didn't either! It was fantastic especially for this space coast kid and retired pilot. We just rolled in for the day and at the entrance was the museum just about Gus. Inside I believe it's his Gemini capsule too. Enjoy! It's only sci-fi till we build it
Gus was an engineering role model for me. He is part of why I became an engineer.
It is well known how disappointed, indeed disgusted Gus Grissom was at the engineering of the Block 1 Apollo Command Module that he was scheduled to command on its first flight. After the tragedy of his death and that of Ed White and Roger Chaffee in the Apollo fire no more Block 1's were assigned to crewed missions.
Truth exposed! Thank you for honoring this man. I had his autograph as one of three Apollo 1 astronauts who signed a color crew photo. A gift from my father when I was a little girl.
Gus Grissom is, and will always be, a great American hero! Ward, you honor him with this episode. 🙏🏻 🇺🇸
While The Right Stuff is one of my favorite movies, it is still Hollywood. If the events portrayed in the film had been remotely true, NASA never would’ve put Gus on the first flights of Gemini and Apollo.
To quote Yeager in the film “Ol’ Gus did all right“.
Now, it still pisses me off that Star Trek III blew up the USS Grissom. That was a slap in the face.
They also blew up Enterprise in the same movie...
@@AerospaceMatt That’s true. I was just focusing on Grissom since he’s the main topic of the video.
@@Falc0n215 I bring up Enterprise because I don’t believe they were intentionally bashing Grissom. I agree they should’ve considered choosing a different name for the ship since he had been tragically deceased for 17 years at the time of release. I remember reading that they chose to destroy Enterprise because one of the writers/producers was a helicopter aircrew in either Korea or Vietnam, where if you crashed, you got a new aircraft and flew again, no big deal. “Oh, 205 crashed, here, take 211.” This was of course in contrast to Roddenberry who was a B-17 pilot. Generally, aircrew were assigned to an airplane, and in turn the airplane became one of the crew. So Roddenberry took that and wrote it in to the original show, with one of the highlights being Kirk’s love for that ship. But, to that one writer or producer (I don’t recall which) ships were as expendable as fighters or helicopters. This lack of sentimentality led to the decision to destroy the beloved Enterprise and to name a “red shirt ship” after a famous astronaut, gone before his time.
There was a USS Grissom. So that is great.
The movie correctly portrays things AT THE TIME, ie July of 1961.
Why don't people get that? It doesn't look into the future, it's a portrayal of events THEN, what is so hard to get about that?
When the movie came out in 1983 everyone knew he'd been cleared of wrongdoing afterwards, if people today watch the movie and don't know that he flew Gemini missions and was commander of Apollo 1, which obviously means he was cleared later of any wrongdoing, then that's on them, the movie makers didn't do anything wrong.
Thanks again, Mooch for a great explanation of history. You helped put Gus’ situation in perspective and restore some honor that this brave astronaut was robbed.
@@jonathancarroll1283 Yes. The astronaut community knew his qualifications and that he wasn’t prone to panicking but the movie audiences didn’t and many people probably left the theatre wondering how the heck Gus ever became an astronaut. Pretty ridiculous but unfortunately, a lot of people probably still think that.
@@mako88sb Some folk want drama. And someone will provide it if steady hands and nerves do not provide that, Hence "stories" are created. A shame to dis-honour someone.
this happened when I was a kid, aspiring to be a pilot. Good Story. I'm now retired Airbus Captain (38 year career) and every night I look up at the heavens and wonder "what if" ....... thanks for the story Ward.
Ward, you've done it again. That's an excellent report. I remember as a teenager watching this mission unfold. When they said that he panicked and blew the hatch himself I never believed it at all. For the same reasons you stated. If he was going to panic he would have panicked well before the mission not after it.
The fact that he was allowed to stay in the program and given more responsibilities surely stand as proof that NASA knew what he said was right. That it was a glitch in their equipment and not a fault of him.
Thanks for helping set the record straight. 🇺🇲🦅
@@carlmontney7916 Yes. The Right Stuff is a great movie except that BS nonsense about Gus. Unfortunately a lot of people that have seen the movie don’t know the truth.
Thanks for making this video. I saw the movie when it was released and wondered about this event. Years later, and after working in industrial electrical design, I figured out that once armed, virtually any glitch could detonate the hatch, from wet switch contacts to static. The movie even made a point of how explosive bolts can’t “just blow” which is irrelevant. As far as I’m concerned, that movie is a hatchet job on Gus who never deserved that. Plus the proof is in the pudding. Had NASA thought Gus was unsuitable, he wouldn’t have been selected for both the first manned Gemini AND Apollo missions and many think that had he not been killed in Apollo 1, Gus would have been the first man to walk on the moon. Again, that you sir for making this video. I’m old enough to (barely) remember Gus’ Mercury flight and Gus was a hero of mine growing up.
I have heard that he would have been the first to walk on the moon also. I’ve read and watched so much about the Space Program though and can’t remember where I got the information.
@@ecleveland1 You probably read that in Deke Slayton's 1994 autobiography, "Deke!". (For those not familiar, Deke was the guy who decided which astronauts would be assigned to each mission.)
Right after Deke's recounting of the day of the Apollo 1 fire, he says "One thing that would probably have been different if Gus had lived: the first guy to walk on the moon would have been Gus Grissom, not Neil Armstrong." (Page 191 in my paperback edition.)
Deke goes on to explain that the leadership had already agreed that "one of the Mercury astronauts would have the first chance at being first on the moon." And in Deke's view, Gus was the only one of the Mercury 7 who was still working hard. (Of course, Gus was also Deke's best friend.)
That was a great update. Gus Grissom was one of my heros. I went to Gus Grissom Elementary School, the former PS-19 in Old Bridge, N.J.
Phenomenal accounting of the actual events. How anyone could insinuate a man like Grissom could panic is beyond me. He had ice running through his veins, and was a consumate professional.
So sorry Gus. You didn't "screw the pooch". The situation went sideways and you got caught in the 'shit storm'. The 'cherry' on your career was to die such a horrible death as an astronaut. You had the Right Stuff, all along. God speed, Gus.
Thanks for the history lesson. Gus’s legacy is a classic example of lies becoming the truth if told enough times.
Thank you Ward. Don't know why I had to wait all these years to hear this explanation. Great job. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Al Shepard was quoted as hating the film The Right Stuff because of the way that his close friend Gus Grissom was portrayed, which was totally different from the man. He was not apologetic about what occurred with the hatch. Gus was a test pilot and handled himself like one.
I remember reading about Schirra giving his proof that Grissom was not at fault.
Dennis Quaid made a point of mentioning the inaccuracy of the story represented in the film The Right Stuff. it was done to put some drama into the story. I think it would have been just fine to keep the truth, as losing the capsule was enough excitement.
Grissom was a real hero.
It wasn't done to put drama into the story. The movie was accurate. There really was suspicion at the time that Grissom messed up even though now it looks like those suspicions were wrong.
Was Gordon slighted in not meeting JFK?
Nice job explaining an incident I'd never heard of, as well as keeping Gus Grissom's memory alive.
As I recall... the remaining "7" astronauts refused to help out with the making of The Right Stuff because of the way the movie portrayed Gus. Ironically, the movie goes on to show how close the astronauts became and how they looked out for each other.
The Right Stuff was one of my Dad's favorite movies, and also one of mine, having been born in 1960 and witnessing a lot of the space race on our little black and white TV. I am so happy to learn that Gus was exonerated even though it was years after his death in Apollo 1. We knew Gus didn't screw the pooch anyway. Thank you for bringing these facts to light CDR Mooch, and please keep the great content coming. Also eagerly awaiting for 'Punk;s Force'.
Yes, excellent movie except for how Gus was portrayed. Not just the hatch incident but showing him on his hands and knees trying to gather up his flight souvenirs he just accidentally dropped. Pretty ridiculous.
I believe that your retelling of the Gus Grissom story is the best I’ve heard and unquestionably the most believable. Gus deserved better than he received and was one of America’s early space explorers and a very brave test pilot. He certainly deserved the credit overdue him!
Thank you for giving the complete and true story to help properly memorialize a dedicated and brave astronaut!
With the Gemini mission, they were supposed to open the doors after splash down. But Gus kept them shut the whole time to make a point.
Mr. Grissom and his peers are a legend and pioneer in US space flight. Thank you for bringing this information forward.
Thank you, my friend. I have never been happy with "the Right Stuff'" rendering of this episode.
Outstanding UA-cam journalism!
Unfortunately, the movie that slurred Grissom has been seen by millions, only thousands will see this video exoneration.
My grade school was named after Grissom. Naturally, he became one of my heroes and I ended up busting my butt in school so I could learn to fly. Thanks for helping to clear his name.
If Gus was a “bad” astronaut/pilot, he wouldn’t have flown again. He commanded the first Gemini flight and we know what happened with Apollo.
It's more of a case of not being replaceable. You already picked seven guys. And said they were the best of the best.
@@WALTERBROADDUS Not True. Malcom Scott Carpenter was quietly removed from flight status after his performance on the second orbital flight following John Glenn, Mercury-Atlas 7.
@@WALTERBROADDUS No. By the time Gemini came around, NASA had already recruited 9 new astronauts, dubbed "the new nine" (where else would John Young have come from?). There wasn't a shortage, Gus was considered to be the best and most respected of the astronauts by the time crew selections for Gemini were made. NASA didn't lose trust in his capabilities as an astronaut. In fact, had he, White & Chaffee not perished in the Apollo 1 fire, Grissom would have been selected to command the first Lunar Landing attempt.
Ironically it was a hatch operated by pyrotechnics that almost killed Grissom on Liberty Bell 7 and a hatch that should have had pyrotechnic operation that killed him on Apollo 1.
Back in the early days NASA was a “use it first, test it later” operation. Now they’ve come a radical 180 degrees around going through many weeks of studying copious test results engaging in anguished hand wringing before refusing to allow their “test pilot” astronauts to return on a Boeing Starliner that everyone who gave it any serious thought knew was safe.
Yeah but he smuggled a ham sandwich from a deli on board the capsule ate it on flight. Funny
During my youth I watched the space program like most kids. These guys were and remain Heros ...so Brave and Intelligent!
Everything was an Unknown.
As a life long aerospace and NASA enthusiast, I greatly appreciate this docisode, Sir. I am most pleased that you add valuable narrative to the wrongful conclusions that had been arrived at tarnishing Astronaut Grissom’s career for a time-and his legacy.
10:00 *RIP John Young (first space shuttle commander), **10:12** Gus/Roger/Ed (1967)*
Young was also the 9th man on the moon, Apollo 16. STS-1 was and will always be the greatest test flight ever.
Thank you, Ward. I remember the loss of the capsule and have wondered what the truth was all these years since then. I am glad for him and his family that this was resolved, especially since he died a hero in the service of the nation. Again, my grateful thanks.
Thank you for setting the record straight.
Chris Kraft, Flight Director for the Mercury flights, was merciless…and kept Grissom on.
I’ve seen static discharges throw infantry troops when they failed to discharge the static from our helo during sling load operations. The idea that he panicked just never made sense.
Hi Ward, This is one of your best videos. Grissom was adopted as an unofficial associate at my old firm. Whenever something fell apart for no apparent reason we would exclaim, “The hatch just blew.” All involved knew it was beyond anyone’s fault. We had an operation in Kokomo IN and we were disappointed when under Reagan the Grissom air base closed. Thanks again for defending his reputation.
I worked for Oceaneering International out of Morgan City, Louisiana and we were contracted to do the salvage of Liberty Bell 7 on the M/V Ocean Project. I wasn't there but several of the crew who were told me about them finding coins inside the capsule that Gus took with him, like in the movie The Right Stuff, for souvenirs.
I got the book written about the recovering of Liberty 7. Very well done and it was pretty amazing that the first potential target they sent the ROV to check on turned out to be the sunk capsule. I don’t have the book handy so can’t recall if this was the first expedition attempt or were there more before finding it?
@@mako88sb First time out. The bottom of the Atlantic there is silty and flat, so imagine an open field in the midwest with a metal space capsule sitting out in the open. On sonar it stuck out like a sore thumb. Oceaneering is an underwater oilfield services company, I was in the commercial diving division, so this kind of work was right up our alley and this job was basically a layup, even the recovery.
@@zakobrien8764 Yes, excellent work still. Too bad they couldn’t find the hatch. I can’t remember how much effort was put into that? Would it have been buried by silt after 38 years?
@@mako88sb Yeah, the crew looked for the hatch, extensively, but to no avail. The hatch was basically flat in shape, and small, so it would have not only laid flat on bottom but would have taken an impossible the predict path to the ocean floor. Being flat, it would have fluttered like a leaf on its way down plus been much more subjected to the effects of current. Then the silt factor of 38 years like you mentioned and there you have it. The best way to find it would have been to put a diver or ROV on bottom and perform a ladder search with a magntometer (metal detector). But that would have meant more time, therefore money, and even then a slim chance of ever finding it.
I’d heard Gus had been vindicated, but not much more. As always, I got the straight story from you. This was the first time I’d ever heard of that huge locator beacon antenna. RIP, Gus, it’s great your name got cleared.
I dropped my youngest off at Purdue this fall. We were walking past Grissom hall so I made him and my wife walk in the side entrance. There in the alcove was the very same five foot tall picture of Gus in his Mercury spacesuit in the display case. The very same portrait that has been in that case since I was attending in the early 80's. FWIW, Chaffee hall is out at the airport. Never had any classes there.
For those of you interested and near Mitchell IN, there is a Gus Grissom Memorial (museum) at Spring Mill State Park. It's worth your time if you're in the area.
Thank you Ward for the truth about this incident. I taught ejection seat staging for 30 years. We were always careful about static electricity. The bridge wire , to detonate the cartridge, has a resistance of 1 ohm. A static discharge could pass through the bridge wire and detonate the explosive.
I always thought it was absurd to think that ANY of those first astronauts would EVER panic.
Yes. Test pilots that panic don’t last long.
They were hotdog Korean War time aviators flying fighters right on the pinnacle of fighter jet technology and the front lines of aviation during the cold war. That these men would ever be called "cowards" is absurd, and speaks to the general societal wide illness that the Cold War created within the nation . . . .
I can still remember most of the original astronauts . I had a model of the Mercury Redstone that suffered a primitive attempt at flight when I stuffed it full of skyrockets at the age of ten or so. That was the end of my career in rocket science although I continued blowing stuff up for many years. Almost every kid I knew had the right stuff for that. Well.. except for Allen Taylor.
Thank you...that puts the record straight. Rest in peace...Gus.
I never doubted Gus Grissoms status as a true hero, but I'm glad you made this video spelling out the truth. Hollywood artistic licence.
Mooch, I get to wake up to the best UA-cam videos on the interweb 😂❤🎉. Thank you, my friend and mentor. Can't wait for Happy hour stories next week.
Hero and professional. A crisp salute to Gus, I'd like to think he knows that the record has been set straight. I would like to hear a little more about the 1999 capsule recovery.
Thanks Ward. I loved the space flights when I was a boy. My old man was crash rescue at El Toro and he took my brother and I to meet John Glenn on the tarmac. We were such a different country then.
My father was a life long employee of North American Aviation (later North American Rockwell and Rockwell International). He worked in the early space program all the way from Mercury, through Gemini, Apollo to the Shuttle and the ISS. I recall he and some colleagues discussing this issue. Grissom was one of the hardest astronauts to work with….hard head, short temper. Still,mi recall Dad’s extreme sadness in Grissom’s passing in the tragic fire of Apollo 1. Dad’s participation-his job, the endless hours at work….today gives me great pride. And I recall some fantastic stories. RIP Dad….and all the astronauts and American Space employee that have left this realm to now “go, where no man has gone before”.
Awesome documentary. Great job.
About as entertaining, is your dog sleeping on his back at the end of the video.
Gus Grissom’s brother used to live in the Saint Louis (MO) area. My dad knew him, and he was friend’s of my wife’s family as well (although I didn’t meet her until my 20’s). By all accounts Gus was a great guy.
OH, It gets worse. My second cousin, William Cameron McCool was the pilot of the Columbia Shuttle. He died over Texas, along with 6 other astronauts. And i was at the cape when Challenger flew apart. It is not every day that you see a space ship explode and fall in pieces to the ocean. I wish i had not been there that cold January morning.
I'm the dad of the cute girl in the pic. I was part of a team that looked for Columbia parts in North Louisiana. It was cold, wet miserable work. We found stuff. It was an honor to be part of it.
2:54 *RIP Gus Grisson, Fred Ward*
As always, great video. It’s great to have someone sharing the true history of aviation and spaceflight. Way too many people spreading bad information, out there.
Go Navy! Beat Army!
Ward, this is just an incredible video! I thought I knew about Gus Grissom and Mercury. I learned all about it in elementary school in the 70s, saw the Right Stuff in the 80s, remember the recovery of his capsule in the 90s, and generally gave him the benefit of the doubt that it was a malfunction. All of this later evidence pretty much puts the debate to bed. I'm surprised its all not better known. Nice job on this one!
Very good information presented in a professional manner. Thank you!
Thank you, Ward for helping to set the record straight! Gus was the man, if anybody studies his participation in Gemini and Apollo, nobody had the knowledge and skills that he had. Probably why he was chosen for the first flights in each series.
Yes. Excellent pilot and astronaut but it’s worth mentioning that Alan Shepard was originally picked to be the commander of the first manned Gemini mission. That was until being replaced by Gus after he lost flight status because of his ear problem.
Thanks, Ward. When I returned from school my Grandmother didn't mention the Apollo accident hoping it wouldn't trigger me (I guess). I was a big fan.
Gus has always been a hero of mine, along with Ed White and Roger Chafee; I for one took Gus at his word. Thanks for sharing the story, I don't remember hearing about that before. I got to see Liberty Bell 7 at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center some years ago, it was very cool to see.
It was a real gift growing up as a young boy and having the seven Mercury astronauts as my heroes. Also from Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff: "Ol' Gus, he did all right. It takes a special kind of man to volunteer for a suicide mission, especially one that's on TV".
Thanks for publicizing the facts behind Liberty Bell. My dad, though his reporting, got to be friends with Gus. Always said that Gus' had the reputation as a great stick. At a NY (or DC?) dinner for the Mercury 7 astronauts, each man was introduced, and was applauded . . . except Gus. My mom was annoyed, so started the clapping for Grissom.
I actually learned about Gus via the movie “The Right Stuff” Don’t understand why they don’t make cool movies like that anymore.
Agreed!
Levon Helm played Ridley the bomber pilot, which is the coolest thing ever.
Yep, that was one in a million
@TonerLow I'm a 64 year old drummer. I loved that character he played. The coolest!!
Great story and research. One needs to visit the Grissom museum in his home town of Mitchell Indiana. I still believe he would've walked on the lunar surface if there was no Apollo tragedy.
Being from Indiana I always felt that Gus got the shaft and then went on to give his life for the Space Program. A true Hero!
Thx Ward. I watched all the mercury missions. Gus was one of my heroes. He never would have panicked as he already possessed more courage than most of us could ever imagine! I wept for him as all the astronauts lost in the Apollo 1 fire in 67. And never forget the Space shuttle crews that perished returning to the people and the planet they so much loved! How far we've come....how little we remember...God's Speed to all our fallen heroes.
I was born in 1950 and watched these space flights on TV., all three networks ABC, CBS and NBC aired them live. When my kids were growing up in the 1980s , I explained to them just how dangerous all this was. The rockets back then, launching satellites, would be blowing up on the launch pad. The TV networks would show the rocket explosions on the nightly news. Not to mention that test pilots at Edwards AFB were dying every other week, but that wasn't well publicized.
Great information, Ward. I remember this incident as a kid and always liked Gus Grissom--somewhat of a boyhood hero to me during the early days of space flight. I am glad the additional information which has come to light years later exonerated him to the extent you explain in this episode. Great stuff as usual! Thank you.
I was friends with his granddaughter in high school. She was very intelligent. When I found out who her grandfather was, it made a lot of sense where she got her brains.
Thank you for posting this. It clears up so much . RIP Gus Grissom. 🇺🇸
Thank you for this video. And giving the real facts of Gus Grissom's flight on Freedom Seven.
Thank you for clearing that up for me. All I had was what the "Right Stuff" entailed.
Thank you Ward, for reminding me of watching recovery lives on network television.
It was an exciting time the world's excitement over man's spaceflight was hypnotic I lament that the same excitement is not as widespread for the incredible successes of Space X, and our first real spaceship that lands and takes off like a 1950s sci-fi film. Will we be alive to watch humans first step on Mars hopefully won't be another 50 years.
Thanks Ward ! Really appreciate your update on Gus. He should not have been discounted in history.
I first learned about the helicopter static discharge thing from “The Hunt for Red October.” ⚡️⚡️⚡️🌊🌊🌊
Love when Mooch puts on his History Channel hat. 🎩
It's a big deal, all Navy aircrews are taught about how to deal with it in the case of a water rescue.
and also to be careful what you shoot at because most things in a nuclear sub don't react well to bullets.
Thank you for this. I was just a kid when Astronaut Grissom flew into space. My Dad always insisted that those guys didn’t panic about anything and it was ignorant idiots who tried to scapegoat the astronaut. Dad always stated the hatch malfunctioned. Dad knew he was right after the Wally Schirra injury. My brother and I almost walked out the theater watching Right Stuff during the Grissom scene. My Dad made us stay reminding us that a test pilot sitting on a ballistic missile going into space does not panic. He claimed the writer didn’t know anything about what it took to be an astronaut. Proved it when the two bureaucratic morons at Poncho’s could not explain “the right stuff” to the movie audience. Our father was awarded the bronze star at IWO JIMA, so he understood what it took to keep focused while the world exploded around you. I never saw him panic… never.
Never heard this wrinkle before and it sounds absolutely right. Those bolts don't "just blow". Poor Gus, this issue eventually cost him his life.
Thanks for this video. He is a true hero. Grissom's mission fell into obscurity as he was between Shepard's and Glenn's mission, but he carried more weight in the space program with Gemini and Apollo. He should be remembered as one of the world's space pioneers, along with the Vostok and other Mercury astronauts.
Nice mini-doco. Apollo First, never forget. I think had Gus not perished in that tragic fire on Apollo First, he may have been the first man on the moon. I have read this somewhere over the years.
I was thinking that too. I think Shep was in there too but then got grounded by Miniere's disease. Later recovered and flew on Apollo 14. I think it was all great in the end, Neil was such a standout his whole career leading up to it that he was the perfect first man.
@@jameshisself7375 👍🧑🚀
Watching the video of Armstrong piloting that hovercraft is what sealed it for me. I always wondered why he was the man that gets all the credit but I saw that video and realized that most of the propellant was there to lift their balls in the air. I’m sure it takes a lot of thrust to get Armstrong’s teaticles into zero gravity 😂
My uncle was stationed at Grissom afb for a long time. He flew on Looking Glass and always talked about these guys. I can only imagine being a kid and having them to look up to. We need more of that in the US.
Grissom deserves a really big monument. I don’t think naming a base after him is enough.
@@The_Red_Off_Road Agreed. That LM simulator contraption was a beast, he tried his best to hold it & punched out just in time too!. Great story, thanks for sharing.
@@irongron I recall hearing stories about how much better Neil was at flying the bedstead then any of the other Apollo group. He struggled with it but he was an ace compared to the rest of them. I'm sure that was the reason he got the nod for the first landing, and it turned out we needed a badass for that one.
Very good video. I'm old enough to remember the launch and all the discussion.
You provided the critical facts needed. Thanks so much.
Just as a note - When the H-34 was trying to hang on to the capsule, it was pulling War Emergency Power for some period over its time limit, and the capsule was jettisoned when the Transmission Chip Light (Which indicates that the gearbox that transfers power from the engine to the rotors is eating itself) illuminated. In the H-34, a Chip Light is a LAND RIGHT NOW Emergency. Even with everything going well, the H-34 was right on, or beyond, the ragged edge of its capabilities.
Gus certainly wasn't thought badly of by the NASA Spaceflight folks, or the Astronaut Corps - as you quickly point out at the end of the video, he was selected to be the Test Pilot for the next 2 generations of spacecraft.
I became a Mechanical Engineer in the early 80s working on the Space Shuttle after being inspired by the Mercury program. My brothers and I played with the original 9inch tall GI Joe and his scale Mercury capsule in the bathtub! Unfortunately my mother threw those out when Joe's pot metal joints rusted. He had a cool mylar suit too. Mom was a little too quit at disposing of our toys.
Fun fact: Grissom's first suggestion for the name of the Gemini 3 capsule was "Titanic". NASA didn't like his sense of humour. Another fun fact: If the Apollo 1 crew hadn't perished in the plugs-out test, Grissom would have been the astronaut selected to command the first lunar landing attempt (Apollo 11), so unlike what the movie portrayed, he was held in extremely high esteem amongst NASA astronauts (especially Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, who was his best friend. Deke Slayton was one of the original 7, but was taken off of flight status due to a heart murmur. He later flew on the Apollo-Soyuz test project mission in 1975, where an Apollo spacecraft linked up with and docked with a Soviet/Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The docking hardware developed from that project enabled the Space Shuttle to dock with the Russian space station Mir several years later, and it was also developed into the docking mechanism which today is installed on the International Space Station) and the NASA administration.
I'm so glad you mentioned the bit by Schirra (who was also a close friend of Grissom) making it a point to blow the hatch after the capsule had been hoisted aboard the recovery carrier, specifically to prove Grissom's innocense in the hatch-matter.
Thanks Ward!
Well said although if Shepard hadn’t developed his ear problem, he would have been the one Deke would line up for the first landing attempt. Of course, it goes without saying that ear issue probably saved Shepard’s life.
We owe he and his family so much! RIP Officer Grissom. Thanks Ward.
Still can't get over how awesome this is!
For years I thought he made an error and he was treated pretty poorly afterwards. I'm so pleased you've made this video to set me right. Go Gus! Another fearless astronaut.
The scene in The Right Stuff was total BS. I have driven through Mitchell, Indiana and seen the Gus Grissom monument and memorial there. Grissom was a consummate professional pilot and astronaut, by all accounts brilliant, calm under pressure, and very intelligent, the opposite of the portrayal in the film.
Great information on Gus Grissom. I'm, a USAF veteran that was stationed in the 305th ARS at Grissom AFB during the Cold War.
Bravo Zulu! Wish you would be the Secretary of State in the new administration! I know your retired but just saying.
Thanks for the deep dive into the actual facts. Let the Force be with you this Saturday. Lay the marker down early and run out of harm’s way.