Gus Grissom

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Lore & Background

Gus Grissom's career began with the Mercury program, where he was one of the original seven astronauts selected by NASA. He then flew in the Gemini program, gaining experience that made him a natural choice for command of the first crewed Apollo mission, initially designated Apollo Saturn-204 (AS-204). The mission was set to launch on February 21, 1967, as a low Earth orbit test flight. During an in-capsule training exercise on January 27, 1967, a flash fire swept through the command module while it sat atop the Saturn-1B rocket at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 34. Grissom, along with Ed White and Roger Chaffee, died in the fire. Following the tragedy, the mission was renamed Apollo 1 to honor the crew's work. Three hills on Mars — Grissom Hill, White Hill, and Chaffee Hill — were named to memorialize the crew of Apollo 1, though as of January 2020 the International Astronomical Union has not officially designated the hills with the names of the astronauts.

In Their Own Story

On January 27, 1967, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were sealed inside their Apollo command module atop a Saturn-1B rocket at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 34. They were performing an in-capsule training exercise for what was to be a low Earth orbit shake-out mission for the Apollo Space Program, scheduled to launch three weeks later on February 21, 1967. A flash fire engulfed the command module, killing all three astronauts. Their capsule stood atop the Saturn-1B rocket which was docked to the launchpad gantry at the time. Following the fire, the mission was renamed Apollo 1 to honor the crew's work. Grissom Hill, one of three hills on Mars named to memorialize the crew, is located 7.5 km southwest of the Columbia Memorial Station on Mars, at Martian co-ordinates 14.5718°S 175.4785°E.

Reader's Guide

Gus Grissom was a NASA astronaut who flew in both the Mercury and Gemini programs before being selected as Mission Command Pilot for Apollo Saturn-204 (AS-204), the first crewed Apollo mission. The mission was intended to be a low Earth orbit shake-out test for the Apollo Space Program, launching from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 34 on February 21, 1967. During a training exercise on January 27, 1967, a flash fire broke out inside the command module while it sat atop the Saturn-1B rocket, killing Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The mission was subsequently renamed Apollo 1 to honor the crew. In memory of the three astronauts, three hills on Mars were named Grissom Hill, White Hill, and Chaffee Hill. These hills are located in the Gusev crater, part of the Aeolis quadrangle on Mars, and were photographed from the Spirit rover's landing site after its landing on January 7, 2004. Grissom Hill lies 7.5 km southwest of the Columbia Memorial Station.

Did You Know?

• Gus Grissom served as Mission Command Pilot for Apollo Saturn-204 (AS-204), which was later renamed Apollo 1 to honor the crew after the fire.
• Grissom had flown in both the Mercury and Gemini programs before his Apollo assignment.
• He died alongside Ed White and Roger Chaffee in a flash fire during an in-capsule training exercise on January 27, 1967.
• The Apollo 1 capsule stood atop a Saturn-1B rocket docked to the launchpad gantry at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 34 at the time of the fire.
• Grissom Hill, a landmark on Mars named in his memory, is located 7.5 km southwest of the Columbia Memorial Station in the Gusev crater.