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Purdue Studies in Aeronautics and Astronautics
Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom
Unlike other American astronauts, Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom never had the chance to publish his memoirs. Killed along with his crew in a launch pad fire on January 27, 1967, Grissom also lost his chance to walk on the moon and return to describe his journey. Others went in his place. The stories of the moon walkers are familiar. Less appreciated are Grissom's contributions. The international prestige of winning the Moon Race cannot be understated, and Grissom played a pivotal and enduring role in securing that legacy for the United States. Indeed, Grissom was first and foremost a Cold Warrior, a member of the first group of Mercury astronauts whose goal it was to beat the Soviet Union into space and eventually to the moon. Drawing on extensive interviews with fellow astronauts, NASA engineers, family members, and friends of Gus Grissom, George Leopold delivers a comprehensive and corrective account of Grissom’s life that places his career in the context of the Cold War and the history of human spaceflight.
Calculated The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom adds significantly to our understanding of that tumultuous and ultimately triumphant period in American history.
Calculated The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom adds significantly to our understanding of that tumultuous and ultimately triumphant period in American history.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2016
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209 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 3, 2016
This is an uneven biography of astronaut Gus Grissom.
On the positive side, Leopold uses primary sources and interviews every effectively in proving his case that Grissom has gotten a raw deal from history (especially Tom Wolfe and Philip Kaufman). Grissom was anything but the incompetent clown portrayed in The Right Stuff. He was a driven man, a skilled pilot and fine engineer.
Leopold's prose in the book's crucial moments -- Grissom's Mercury flight, the controversy over the loss of his ship, the Gemini flight, and particularly the disaster of Apollo 1 -- is first rate. Clearly, everyone involved in the project paid special attention to these sections.
Unfortunately, much of rest of the book is overly repetitive -- I'm a small-town Hoosier, but I don't need to be reminded two dozen times how hard working and industrious we are. It's an important point to make, and key to understanding Grissom. But the book is filled with such references, and other repetitions that stall the narrative. The book could have been one-third shorter than it is without losing a single important element.
I'm glad Leopold wrote this book, and I appreciate the effort that went into the research to vindicate Grissom, who deserves it. I only wish a stronger editorial hand had been at work excising some of the extraneous material.
On the positive side, Leopold uses primary sources and interviews every effectively in proving his case that Grissom has gotten a raw deal from history (especially Tom Wolfe and Philip Kaufman). Grissom was anything but the incompetent clown portrayed in The Right Stuff. He was a driven man, a skilled pilot and fine engineer.
Leopold's prose in the book's crucial moments -- Grissom's Mercury flight, the controversy over the loss of his ship, the Gemini flight, and particularly the disaster of Apollo 1 -- is first rate. Clearly, everyone involved in the project paid special attention to these sections.
Unfortunately, much of rest of the book is overly repetitive -- I'm a small-town Hoosier, but I don't need to be reminded two dozen times how hard working and industrious we are. It's an important point to make, and key to understanding Grissom. But the book is filled with such references, and other repetitions that stall the narrative. The book could have been one-third shorter than it is without losing a single important element.
I'm glad Leopold wrote this book, and I appreciate the effort that went into the research to vindicate Grissom, who deserves it. I only wish a stronger editorial hand had been at work excising some of the extraneous material.
June 21, 2019
This book really needed an editor. It was entertaining, thoughtful in its opinion of Grissom's place in the Space Race, and vigorously defensive of his reputation in the face of those who chose to besmirch Gus, like Tom Wolfe in "the Right Stuff" and its movie version.
One surprising bit of history is how little NASA did for the Grissom family after Gus' death. NASA is not presented in the best light here. They should have done more financially and emotionally. Hell, Perdue U, Gus' alma mater, did more for Gus. NASA will not even display the Apollo 1 capsule nor bury it under Pad 34, where Gus died. It is almost like NASA is waiting for the Grissom family to disappear to close the Grissom chapter of its existence (or so the author opines).
IF you are interested in the Mission to the moon, this is a good book to include in your readings. But know that it is very repetitive and has a writing style that jumps all over the place. It covers the same ground repeatedly, and could have done with some more editing. The author is also a huge fanboy of Grissom, and his writing style comes off as a little bit much.
But this is also an incredibly well-researched work that passionately recounts the life of a pioneer from Indiana, who flipped burgers while going to school, flew over 100 missions for the air force, was the 1st man to go to space twice, and was killed in the line of duty getting the US to the moon. Notwithstanding some editing work that needed to be done, it is an incredibly enjoyable book .
One surprising bit of history is how little NASA did for the Grissom family after Gus' death. NASA is not presented in the best light here. They should have done more financially and emotionally. Hell, Perdue U, Gus' alma mater, did more for Gus. NASA will not even display the Apollo 1 capsule nor bury it under Pad 34, where Gus died. It is almost like NASA is waiting for the Grissom family to disappear to close the Grissom chapter of its existence (or so the author opines).
IF you are interested in the Mission to the moon, this is a good book to include in your readings. But know that it is very repetitive and has a writing style that jumps all over the place. It covers the same ground repeatedly, and could have done with some more editing. The author is also a huge fanboy of Grissom, and his writing style comes off as a little bit much.
But this is also an incredibly well-researched work that passionately recounts the life of a pioneer from Indiana, who flipped burgers while going to school, flew over 100 missions for the air force, was the 1st man to go to space twice, and was killed in the line of duty getting the US to the moon. Notwithstanding some editing work that needed to be done, it is an incredibly enjoyable book .
September 2, 2016
As a test pilot, Mercury astronaut, Gemini astronaut, and Apollo astronaut, Virgil (Gus) Grissom knew calculated risk better than most. Mr. Leopold in his biography Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom tells us how Grissom chased risk with his need to fly ever higher and faster.
After a brief stint in the military near the end of WWII, Grissom realized that “he needed more technical training if he was going to get ahead.” He took advantage of the GI Bill of Rights and earned a mechanical engineering degree from Purdue University with skills that he would call upon throughout his career. After graduation, the Korean War broke out. Grissom re-enlisted and ended up flying 100 combat missions. He did not shoot any airplanes down, but he played a vital role as a wingman. Leopold quotes a pilot as saying: the wingman’s “duties were nothing less than sacred: to serve as a lookout for the leader…and,if needed, to support him with fire.
Near the end of the Korean war, the air force brought back “combat veterans as flight instructors to train the next batch of fighter pilots. This afforded Grissom the opportunity to fly top-of-the-line fighters. Leopold notes that “as he accumulated more flying time in advanced fighter jets, Grissom’s reputation as a crackerjack flyer grew. The goal since Purdue was to become a test pilot. Grissom applied and was accepted….” As a test pilot ,Grissom distinguished himself to be one the best pilots in the air.
Sputnik happened and the Cold War morphed into the Space Race. Sputnik was “launched into orbit on October 4, 1957, The world would never be the same.” Leopold writes: “If is impossible to overstate Sputnik’s impact on the world. The Soviet’s astounding achievement shocked the West to its core….” One year later on October 8, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was founded with the Charter of “nothing less than launching humans into space and doing it before the Soviets.” Soon after, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was formed. Project Mercury was started with the goal of fulfilling that quest. President Eisenhower ordered “that the candidates for the new Project Mercury be drawn from a pool of the nation’s military test pilots. After all, they were already government employees able to obtain security clearances, available on short notice, and their records were readily available.” Grissom made the cut.
Grissom was the second American astronaut into space. His flight was basically a cannon shot. The flight lasted 15 minutes 30 seconds, reached an altitude of more than 102.8 nautical miles and traveled 262.5 nautical miles downrange. It came after Alan Shepard’s flight, which turned him into a national hero and before John Glenn’s orbital flight turning him into an international hero. History seldom remembers or rewards the second person to accomplish something. In Grissom’s case, an unfortunate event changed that dynamic.
Grissom's flight was nearly flawless, Leopold tells us. “His flight showed that the Mercury capsule was indeed flight-worthy and that an astronaut could fly the spacecraft—he was more than just a passenger.” After splashdown, the emergency explosive bolts fired unexpectedly and blew the hatch off the capsule and it began taking on water. Grissom managed to get out into the ocean and began helping the recovery crew latch onto the spacecraft while fighting to remain afloat. The capsule, filled with water was too heavy for the first helicopter and had to be cut loose, sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The hatch blowing off and losing the capsule dogged Grissom for the rest of his career. Leopold notes that: “Later, too late for Grissom to undo the damage to his reputation, it became clear that the Mercury hatch was poorly designed and not sufficiently tested.”
Mr. Leopold hits his apogee with his discussion of the Apollo 1 tragedy. Mr. Leopold places the blame for the Apollo disaster as a “…direct consequence of shortsighted engineering decisions made several years before, using a pure oxygen environment in a spaceship equipped with a heavy, inward-opening hatch and an outer hatch requiring at least ninety seconds to crank open.” The “Go Fever” that gripped the space the space program was a direct result of President Kennedy’s declaration in 1961 to send men to the moon and return them safely by the end of the decade. The level of risk being tolerated by program managers was arguably unprecedented in the history of the American space program. Apollo program managers were fixated on sticking to an impossible schedule. The Space Race would define the Cold War.
“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.” Although this quote is often attributed to Grissom, Mr. Leopold was not able to track down the source. However, with this book Mr. Leopold makes it clear that Grissom believed it.
Well researched and well written Mr. Leopold’s compelling narrative is an important contribution to the history of space flight.
After a brief stint in the military near the end of WWII, Grissom realized that “he needed more technical training if he was going to get ahead.” He took advantage of the GI Bill of Rights and earned a mechanical engineering degree from Purdue University with skills that he would call upon throughout his career. After graduation, the Korean War broke out. Grissom re-enlisted and ended up flying 100 combat missions. He did not shoot any airplanes down, but he played a vital role as a wingman. Leopold quotes a pilot as saying: the wingman’s “duties were nothing less than sacred: to serve as a lookout for the leader…and,if needed, to support him with fire.
Near the end of the Korean war, the air force brought back “combat veterans as flight instructors to train the next batch of fighter pilots. This afforded Grissom the opportunity to fly top-of-the-line fighters. Leopold notes that “as he accumulated more flying time in advanced fighter jets, Grissom’s reputation as a crackerjack flyer grew. The goal since Purdue was to become a test pilot. Grissom applied and was accepted….” As a test pilot ,Grissom distinguished himself to be one the best pilots in the air.
Sputnik happened and the Cold War morphed into the Space Race. Sputnik was “launched into orbit on October 4, 1957, The world would never be the same.” Leopold writes: “If is impossible to overstate Sputnik’s impact on the world. The Soviet’s astounding achievement shocked the West to its core….” One year later on October 8, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was founded with the Charter of “nothing less than launching humans into space and doing it before the Soviets.” Soon after, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was formed. Project Mercury was started with the goal of fulfilling that quest. President Eisenhower ordered “that the candidates for the new Project Mercury be drawn from a pool of the nation’s military test pilots. After all, they were already government employees able to obtain security clearances, available on short notice, and their records were readily available.” Grissom made the cut.
Grissom was the second American astronaut into space. His flight was basically a cannon shot. The flight lasted 15 minutes 30 seconds, reached an altitude of more than 102.8 nautical miles and traveled 262.5 nautical miles downrange. It came after Alan Shepard’s flight, which turned him into a national hero and before John Glenn’s orbital flight turning him into an international hero. History seldom remembers or rewards the second person to accomplish something. In Grissom’s case, an unfortunate event changed that dynamic.
Grissom's flight was nearly flawless, Leopold tells us. “His flight showed that the Mercury capsule was indeed flight-worthy and that an astronaut could fly the spacecraft—he was more than just a passenger.” After splashdown, the emergency explosive bolts fired unexpectedly and blew the hatch off the capsule and it began taking on water. Grissom managed to get out into the ocean and began helping the recovery crew latch onto the spacecraft while fighting to remain afloat. The capsule, filled with water was too heavy for the first helicopter and had to be cut loose, sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The hatch blowing off and losing the capsule dogged Grissom for the rest of his career. Leopold notes that: “Later, too late for Grissom to undo the damage to his reputation, it became clear that the Mercury hatch was poorly designed and not sufficiently tested.”
Mr. Leopold hits his apogee with his discussion of the Apollo 1 tragedy. Mr. Leopold places the blame for the Apollo disaster as a “…direct consequence of shortsighted engineering decisions made several years before, using a pure oxygen environment in a spaceship equipped with a heavy, inward-opening hatch and an outer hatch requiring at least ninety seconds to crank open.” The “Go Fever” that gripped the space the space program was a direct result of President Kennedy’s declaration in 1961 to send men to the moon and return them safely by the end of the decade. The level of risk being tolerated by program managers was arguably unprecedented in the history of the American space program. Apollo program managers were fixated on sticking to an impossible schedule. The Space Race would define the Cold War.
“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.” Although this quote is often attributed to Grissom, Mr. Leopold was not able to track down the source. However, with this book Mr. Leopold makes it clear that Grissom believed it.
Well researched and well written Mr. Leopold’s compelling narrative is an important contribution to the history of space flight.
February 19, 2017
It usually doesn't take me a full month to get through a book with just a shade over 300 pages of text. I was really looking forward to reading Calculated Risk, so it's certainly possible that I had set my expectations far too high. I anticipated that it would be a page-turner...sadly, it was more of a slog.
What it lacked was a good editor. I couldn't count the number of times the same facts were repeated throughout the book, occasionally, even within a few paragraphs. It's a little unsettling to be reading a book like this only to question yourself..."Wait, didn't I just read that?!"
In any event, I do not in any way, regret having read the book. Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, along with fellow astronauts Edward White and Roger Chaffee perished in a horrific fire in their Apollo capsule while engaging in a prelaunch drill in January, 1967. That this occurred very shortly after I became a "space nut" (I had just turned six when this happened), coupled with the fact that I really had no idea what led up to the tragedy, made the facts presented all the more interesting.
In addition, the author's in-depth examination of Grissom's "blown hatch" incident following his Mercury mission was also very revealing. Unlike "The Right Stuff," (the book and the film), where it was implied that Major Grissom blew the hatch in a state of sheer panic, we learn that was never the case. Reading about his life leading up to his mission as the second American in space (after Shepherd and before Glenn), you'll realize that this was not a man prone to "losing it."
Grissom is a true American hero, and this biography puts him in the spotlight he deserves. Even if it the writing itself needed some tweaking.
What it lacked was a good editor. I couldn't count the number of times the same facts were repeated throughout the book, occasionally, even within a few paragraphs. It's a little unsettling to be reading a book like this only to question yourself..."Wait, didn't I just read that?!"
In any event, I do not in any way, regret having read the book. Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, along with fellow astronauts Edward White and Roger Chaffee perished in a horrific fire in their Apollo capsule while engaging in a prelaunch drill in January, 1967. That this occurred very shortly after I became a "space nut" (I had just turned six when this happened), coupled with the fact that I really had no idea what led up to the tragedy, made the facts presented all the more interesting.
In addition, the author's in-depth examination of Grissom's "blown hatch" incident following his Mercury mission was also very revealing. Unlike "The Right Stuff," (the book and the film), where it was implied that Major Grissom blew the hatch in a state of sheer panic, we learn that was never the case. Reading about his life leading up to his mission as the second American in space (after Shepherd and before Glenn), you'll realize that this was not a man prone to "losing it."
Grissom is a true American hero, and this biography puts him in the spotlight he deserves. Even if it the writing itself needed some tweaking.
June 5, 2017
The author gave a keynote at a tech conference I attended, focusing on the aspect of Gus Grissom, engineer. Had this book focused on that topic, it would have been better - and quite a bit shorter. Instead, this scrambled biography is poorly edited.
Problems with editing include the order of events and repetition of phrases. The author has gathered a lot of information about Grissom's life and work, and it deserves a better treatment. Were I to recommend this book to anyone, I would recommend they jump to chapter 6.
The author shines in certain sections - describing the Mercury and Gemini programs. The text is concise and hits all the important points. Research is another major plus - the author's access to new information and personal interviews gives this text high marks as source material.
The author's talk and slides were good, and I enjoy this author's engineering focus. I hope to see something better from him in the future.
Problems with editing include the order of events and repetition of phrases. The author has gathered a lot of information about Grissom's life and work, and it deserves a better treatment. Were I to recommend this book to anyone, I would recommend they jump to chapter 6.
The author shines in certain sections - describing the Mercury and Gemini programs. The text is concise and hits all the important points. Research is another major plus - the author's access to new information and personal interviews gives this text high marks as source material.
The author's talk and slides were good, and I enjoy this author's engineering focus. I hope to see something better from him in the future.
September 25, 2022
I find learning about the early space program both fascinating and extraordinary.
I’ve read a number of books on the early space program over the past couple of years. This is a good addition to that set of books as it focusses on Gus Grissom who did not get a chance to write more about his experiences. However it was also disappointing with the inclusion of what appear to be the author’s opinions and not facts. Early on the author writes things like “As if to ease his suffering over the deaths of the astronauts” and “The size of their donations to the scholarship funds honoring the dead astronauts reflected the intense guilt company executives felt after the Apollo 1 fire.” Is that the reason for the sizeable donations or is this just conjecture by the author? For me, such opinions distracted from the story. Grissom’s story is a challenge as he died early in the Apollo program and did not, like many others, have the chance to write more about his experiences. This book does fill in a lot of the details and contains information I had not read before. There are also frequent repetitions, as if each chapter was written as a standalone article, independent of the others and then combined into a book. Sometimes those repetitions were within a chapter. Overall, I definitely enjoyed learning more about Grissom but could have done without the opinions and repetitions but those are minor complaints about an otherwise great book.
I’ve read a number of books on the early space program over the past couple of years. This is a good addition to that set of books as it focusses on Gus Grissom who did not get a chance to write more about his experiences. However it was also disappointing with the inclusion of what appear to be the author’s opinions and not facts. Early on the author writes things like “As if to ease his suffering over the deaths of the astronauts” and “The size of their donations to the scholarship funds honoring the dead astronauts reflected the intense guilt company executives felt after the Apollo 1 fire.” Is that the reason for the sizeable donations or is this just conjecture by the author? For me, such opinions distracted from the story. Grissom’s story is a challenge as he died early in the Apollo program and did not, like many others, have the chance to write more about his experiences. This book does fill in a lot of the details and contains information I had not read before. There are also frequent repetitions, as if each chapter was written as a standalone article, independent of the others and then combined into a book. Sometimes those repetitions were within a chapter. Overall, I definitely enjoyed learning more about Grissom but could have done without the opinions and repetitions but those are minor complaints about an otherwise great book.
October 26, 2019
I will take one star off my review for this book because I saw too many repetitions of details and because I see the book as being too derivative from previous accounts of the 1960s astronaut corps. Yet I do believe that George Leopold's writing shines in describing the most vivid moments in Gus Grissom's life: his experience as a Korean War fighter pilot, his Mercury flight aboard Liberty Bell 7, his Gemini flight aboard Molly Brown, and the tragic launchpad fire that took his life. I also really enjoyed the section about the aftermath of his death, because I learned about how the family has reacted to the tragedy. In particular, wife Betty and the two children had misgivings about the lack of support they received from NASA. Yet more importantly, this book holds significance in that Leopold successfully refutes the idea of Grissom as the "hard luck" astronaut or the astronaut who supposedly panicked at sea after Liberty Bell 7 splashed down. In writing about Grissom's entire life, he argues that the Mitchell, Indiana native instead deserves to be remembered as a small town boy who strove to live a life of an action and take calculated risks with the goal of advancing human progress. Though the risks caught up to Grissom at age 40, without his contributions Americans would not have placed bootprints on the lunar surface.
December 29, 2023
Written in the spirit that Virgil "Gus" Grissom was "done wrong" by Tom Wolfe in "The Right Stuff," Leopold gives you a man who had an almost existential commitment to achievement, and who was one of the workhorses of American manned space flight, until that awful day in 1967 when Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee died in the Apollo I spacecraft. Besides tracing the long train of events that created a deathtrap of a machine, a particular plus of this book is that Leopold doesn't try to pretend that Grissom was some victim of destiny. He was as hard-charging as anyone else in NASA in terms of beating Moscow to landing a man on the Moon, even when it seems quite clear that he realized that matters were far from right with what was supposed to be America's instrument of national greatness. Besides that, Leopold gives you a complete life of the man, and contemplates his impact in the years since his death. I agree with some other reviewers that this book could have been somewhat better organized, but if you're interested in Grissom, and the Apollo I disaster, it's "go to" reading.
August 1, 2020
I am a NASA nerd. I don't know why I never realized this bio was out there, but Gus Grissom was an incredible man. This was a nice, comprehensive biography on a talented aviator, engineer and pioneer who was taken far before his time. Imagining where he would have gone and what he would have achieved in our race to the moon is both heartbreaking and fascinating. A great read about one of my all time favorite astronauts.
July 16, 2024
Gus Grissom is an interesting and tragic character in the history of NASA. George Leopold does his research into the man and the astronaut. He not only profiles Grissom's life but talks a lot about the origins of NASA and the space race and of course that fateful fire that took Grissom's, Ed White's, and Roger Chaffee's lives.
The research is strong. The narrative gets bogged down a lot with detail and it doesn't always flow well. The information is there, it just isn't always easily readable.
He disputes the portrayals of Grissom in the book and movie version of "The Right Stuff".
Recommended for like-minded readers interested in learning more about Virgil "Gus" Grissom.
The research is strong. The narrative gets bogged down a lot with detail and it doesn't always flow well. The information is there, it just isn't always easily readable.
He disputes the portrayals of Grissom in the book and movie version of "The Right Stuff".
Recommended for like-minded readers interested in learning more about Virgil "Gus" Grissom.
November 14, 2018
Poorly written, almost worshipful biography of a man who did far better in his moment in history then most would have done.
January 9, 2025
A meticulous biography of the late, great Gus Grissom. Very few people remember him fifty years after his death. A no-nonsense guy that got caught up in the space race. Well written.
November 17, 2020
Gus Grissom
So the book shows Grissom in a more realistic light , then other factionalized accounts . Nice read about a pioneer of the American Space program
So the book shows Grissom in a more realistic light , then other factionalized accounts . Nice read about a pioneer of the American Space program
August 4, 2016
fascinating topic, but not terribly well written and/or edited. Many parts of the story seem to be repeated several times using different phrases. the part about the Apollo 204 fire gave me nightmares.
October 20, 2016
Truly well researched and fantastic reporting. Could have used a more deft hand in the editing, but nonetheless provides a compelling telling of Grissom's life.
May 2, 2017
Finally, a comprehenshive biography of Gus Grissom. I am 63 and came of age in the 1960's. NASA and the astronauts were my hero's. I built model rockets and wrote letters to NASA. The coolest thing was that NASA answerered them and sent me all kinds of phamplets and info on all things NASA. I don't really remember the controversy over the Grissom Mercury mission, but I do remember the Gemini mission and I was crushed in 1967 when the fire took the lives of Grissom, Chaffee and White. Precious little information ever came out. This book sets the record straight on the Mercury mission and provides as much information on the fire as we I have seen in one place.
Gus wasn't a saint, but he was a hero. You will think so, too, after reading this book. I could not recommend it more. The Mercury/Gemini/Apollo astronauts represented the best. All of them should be remembered and celebrated, but mostly their stories should not be forgotten.
Gus wasn't a saint, but he was a hero. You will think so, too, after reading this book. I could not recommend it more. The Mercury/Gemini/Apollo astronauts represented the best. All of them should be remembered and celebrated, but mostly their stories should not be forgotten.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews