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Gus Grissom: The Lost Astronaut
Selected as one of NASA's original Seven Mercury Astronauts, Gus Grissom would go on to become the first man to fly in space twice and later give his life to the NASA space program. This book unearths the story of Indiana's first astronaut by offering a more complete picture of Grissom's life and character and the events that led up to his death.
- GenresSpaceBiographyNonfiction
393 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2004
4 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Ray E. Boomhower
43 books28 followersFrom famed World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle to unlucky astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, author and historian Ray E. Boomhower has produced books on a variety of notable figures in Indiana and American history.
Currently senior editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press, where he edits the quarterly popular history magazine Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, Boomhower has also published books on the life of Civil War general and author Lew Wallace, reformer and peace activist May Wright Sewall, U.S. Navy ace Alex Vraciu, and journalist and diplomat John Bartlow Martin.
In 1998 he received the Hoosier Historian award from the Indiana Historical Society and in 2010 he was named winner of the Regional Author Award in the annual Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards. In 2009 his book Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary was selected as the winner in the historical nonfiction category of the annual Best Books of Indiana contest sponsored by the Indiana Center for the Book. His books have also been finalists in the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association.
Currently senior editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press, where he edits the quarterly popular history magazine Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, Boomhower has also published books on the life of Civil War general and author Lew Wallace, reformer and peace activist May Wright Sewall, U.S. Navy ace Alex Vraciu, and journalist and diplomat John Bartlow Martin.
In 1998 he received the Hoosier Historian award from the Indiana Historical Society and in 2010 he was named winner of the Regional Author Award in the annual Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards. In 2009 his book Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary was selected as the winner in the historical nonfiction category of the annual Best Books of Indiana contest sponsored by the Indiana Center for the Book. His books have also been finalists in the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 9, 2018
The gist I got from Grissom's bio was that he was a quiet, no-nonsense, get-the-job-done, and do it well, no need to brag or showboat, keep away from that limelight, but still have a damn good time, astronaut. My kinda dude.
This book often took a defensive stance, essentially saying "Ok, you're probably reading this because of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff, and the follow up movie. Maybe NASA at first thought Gus prematurely blew the hatch on his Mercury spacecraft out of fear, but most don't think that any more, ok? Wolfe and Hollywood just liked stirring the pot. Who knows, maybe he did, but here are a hundred ways in which he was a badass who wouldn't dare do such a thing."
I thought it was a little distracting and wish the author had told Grissom's story as-is, and maybe reference The Right Stuff and the ensuing fallout near the end of the book, in the pages talking about the years after his tragic death.
It's a shame that we lost such a great, talented, brave man due to "launch fever" and poor workmanship. But the interesting point the authors makes is that had the accident not happened on the ground, but in space during its mission, the Apollo program would have likely been canceled right at the beginning as it would have been a complete mystery what went wrong. And then no big step for Neil, or anyone.
Once again my hero Henri Landwirth, founder of Give Kids the World, makes an appearance. That's always cool.
Per aspera ad astra.
This book often took a defensive stance, essentially saying "Ok, you're probably reading this because of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff, and the follow up movie. Maybe NASA at first thought Gus prematurely blew the hatch on his Mercury spacecraft out of fear, but most don't think that any more, ok? Wolfe and Hollywood just liked stirring the pot. Who knows, maybe he did, but here are a hundred ways in which he was a badass who wouldn't dare do such a thing."
I thought it was a little distracting and wish the author had told Grissom's story as-is, and maybe reference The Right Stuff and the ensuing fallout near the end of the book, in the pages talking about the years after his tragic death.
It's a shame that we lost such a great, talented, brave man due to "launch fever" and poor workmanship. But the interesting point the authors makes is that had the accident not happened on the ground, but in space during its mission, the Apollo program would have likely been canceled right at the beginning as it would have been a complete mystery what went wrong. And then no big step for Neil, or anyone.
Once again my hero Henri Landwirth, founder of Give Kids the World, makes an appearance. That's always cool.
Per aspera ad astra.
November 11, 2020
. I had heard about Gus Grissom, one of three astronauts who were killed because, as my mom said, the three military men were killed because of the greed of the contractors. As it turns out, the book mentions at the end that Mr. Grissom’s widow received an out-of-court settlement of only $60K plus $75K for each of her two sons from the contractor responsible plus the kids ended up receiving a full scholarship later to Purdue, the school of their dad.
The author does a simple job reviewing the life of a simple man who seemed to fall into the NASA program. Growing up in a modest home, Gus had problems with first success and married young. He seemed a bit disconnected to his wife, heading off to war then to college then to NASA. When he was selected to be on the Mercury flight, it was after Glenn orbited the Earth for the first time and was invited – with his wife – to the White House. But because of the controversy of the blown hatch, Grissom didn’t receive that same treatment. His wife was really upset about that, although he was invited to the White House after another trip.
The book covering how the astronauts had a say in the design of the capsule was really interesting; Senator Glenn spoke about the importance of a window, something that impacted how NASA billed the flights by what they viewed. It was also good that the author covered how their humor broke through the boredom that took over waiting for another flight. It reminded me of the book and movie, “The Right Stuff.”
The final chapter of the book was sad and instructional both about what happened and the blame game that took place afterwards.
While a simple book, it was interesting and worth the read.
The author does a simple job reviewing the life of a simple man who seemed to fall into the NASA program. Growing up in a modest home, Gus had problems with first success and married young. He seemed a bit disconnected to his wife, heading off to war then to college then to NASA. When he was selected to be on the Mercury flight, it was after Glenn orbited the Earth for the first time and was invited – with his wife – to the White House. But because of the controversy of the blown hatch, Grissom didn’t receive that same treatment. His wife was really upset about that, although he was invited to the White House after another trip.
The book covering how the astronauts had a say in the design of the capsule was really interesting; Senator Glenn spoke about the importance of a window, something that impacted how NASA billed the flights by what they viewed. It was also good that the author covered how their humor broke through the boredom that took over waiting for another flight. It reminded me of the book and movie, “The Right Stuff.”
The final chapter of the book was sad and instructional both about what happened and the blame game that took place afterwards.
While a simple book, it was interesting and worth the read.
November 26, 2024
( Format : Audiobook )
"One of the great heroes of the space age."
I remember the shock which reverberated round England.when three astronauts died in a test run for the Apollo mission, so tragic, so terrible. But I didn't recall their names. Not have I read or seen or even heard of The Right Stuff. It was a picture of Gus Grisson himself which drew me to this book and the feeling of joy it induced in me every time which made me want to know more about him.
Given how the space programme became so much of his life, it is only fitting that there is a large quantity of technical detail although, especially in the latter part of the book, it did feel too much, as if the reader had to pick glimpses of the man from the vast mountain of the space programme. The narration by Douglas R. Pratt further exacerbated this feeling. I would have preferred more of the man than the machine. But a picture does emerge of someone comfortable with himself, forceful, competitive with his peers and confident in his chosen world. A man who disliked publicity, somewhat taciturn, but with a good sense of humour
I would have liked very much to have met him.
"One of the great heroes of the space age."
I remember the shock which reverberated round England.when three astronauts died in a test run for the Apollo mission, so tragic, so terrible. But I didn't recall their names. Not have I read or seen or even heard of The Right Stuff. It was a picture of Gus Grisson himself which drew me to this book and the feeling of joy it induced in me every time which made me want to know more about him.
Given how the space programme became so much of his life, it is only fitting that there is a large quantity of technical detail although, especially in the latter part of the book, it did feel too much, as if the reader had to pick glimpses of the man from the vast mountain of the space programme. The narration by Douglas R. Pratt further exacerbated this feeling. I would have preferred more of the man than the machine. But a picture does emerge of someone comfortable with himself, forceful, competitive with his peers and confident in his chosen world. A man who disliked publicity, somewhat taciturn, but with a good sense of humour
I would have liked very much to have met him.
April 16, 2019
Had some dry spots but a solid read.
August 12, 2025
So much to learn about the life of Gus Grissom Ava his life and work.
June 7, 2018
I grew up in the same county as Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom; Lawrence County, Indiana. Spring Mill State Park, near Grissom’s hometown of Mitchell, Indiana, and the location of the Grissom Memorial, was one of my favorite places in those days...still is, truth to tell. The Mercury Seven were some of my heroes, intrepid explorers of the edges of human endeavors. Ray Boomhower does a great job of telling Grissom’s story, even including the loss of Liberty Bell 7 (I never believed that it was Grissom’s fault), and his and his Apollo 1 shipmates’ (Ed White and Roger Chaffee) tragic deaths. Boomhower is a good writer who makes effective use of his sources and of his thorough research, to tell the story directly and unflinchingly. A wonderful read about a good and brave man too soon gone.
March 8, 2017
Good read...for a biography, it was shorter and more concise!
July 27, 2014
The book: Gus Grissom: The Lost Astronaut
The author: Ray E. Boomhower, author and historian from Indiana
The subject: A biography of Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and first astronaut to fly into space twice, whose life was tragically caught short by a fire during a pre-launch test of the Apollo 1 command module.
Why I chose it: I bought this from the (since closed) Science Museum's branch of Waterstones because astronauts are cool.
The rating: Four out of five stars
What I thought of it: Many people probably know of Gus Grissom as a result of Tom Wolfe's book "The Right Stuff" and the subsequent movie. Both of these came out after Grissom's death and were rather less respectful than they might have been of a man no longer around to defend himself. This book is far more appropriate and in-depth, covering Grissom's life from his childhood in Mitchell, Indiana, through his work as a test pilot, then an astronaut, through to his untimely demise and what happened after it.
Boomhower managed to get a good balance between talking about Grissom's home life and his work life, so you get a full and rounded portrait of the man he was. There is a lot of technical detail communicated well, as well as anecdotes to stop it from being too dry. You get a real sense of how dedicated Grissom was to the space program, which makes his chronic bad luck while part of it even more saddening.
I know a fair amount about NASA's early manned missions, but I learned some new stuff in this book. Perhaps not the most historically significant, but oddly most saddening to me, was that after Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft almost sank as a result of the hatch blowing, his two young sons were bullied at school because it was reported that Grissom had panicked and opened the hatch prematurely. Kids, eh? (Incidentally, the evidence points towards Grissom having nothing to do with the hatch blowing; in fact, it seems like it may have been an issue with the hatch door not being adequately secured, which was rectified for later missions.)
If you're interested in the history of human spaceflight, NASA or anything in that ballpark, I definitely recommend this book. Even if you're not, it's an absorbing account of the life of a space pioneer that is both sympathetic and realistic. You will come out of it with a far more rounded portrait of Grissom than other books have provided.
Just one more thing: This picture. Just... this picture.
(Alan Shepard on the left, Gus Grissom on the right. I think these suits must have been NASA issue.)
The author: Ray E. Boomhower, author and historian from Indiana
The subject: A biography of Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and first astronaut to fly into space twice, whose life was tragically caught short by a fire during a pre-launch test of the Apollo 1 command module.
Why I chose it: I bought this from the (since closed) Science Museum's branch of Waterstones because astronauts are cool.
The rating: Four out of five stars
What I thought of it: Many people probably know of Gus Grissom as a result of Tom Wolfe's book "The Right Stuff" and the subsequent movie. Both of these came out after Grissom's death and were rather less respectful than they might have been of a man no longer around to defend himself. This book is far more appropriate and in-depth, covering Grissom's life from his childhood in Mitchell, Indiana, through his work as a test pilot, then an astronaut, through to his untimely demise and what happened after it.
Boomhower managed to get a good balance between talking about Grissom's home life and his work life, so you get a full and rounded portrait of the man he was. There is a lot of technical detail communicated well, as well as anecdotes to stop it from being too dry. You get a real sense of how dedicated Grissom was to the space program, which makes his chronic bad luck while part of it even more saddening.
I know a fair amount about NASA's early manned missions, but I learned some new stuff in this book. Perhaps not the most historically significant, but oddly most saddening to me, was that after Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft almost sank as a result of the hatch blowing, his two young sons were bullied at school because it was reported that Grissom had panicked and opened the hatch prematurely. Kids, eh? (Incidentally, the evidence points towards Grissom having nothing to do with the hatch blowing; in fact, it seems like it may have been an issue with the hatch door not being adequately secured, which was rectified for later missions.)
If you're interested in the history of human spaceflight, NASA or anything in that ballpark, I definitely recommend this book. Even if you're not, it's an absorbing account of the life of a space pioneer that is both sympathetic and realistic. You will come out of it with a far more rounded portrait of Grissom than other books have provided.
Just one more thing: This picture. Just... this picture.
(Alan Shepard on the left, Gus Grissom on the right. I think these suits must have been NASA issue.)
April 2, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. Boomhower did a great job of interviewing all of those who were contemperaries of Grissom, including other astronauts and his wife and family. Grissom is such an icon in Indiana and I really didn't know much about him, other than he died in a fire on the launch pad. Boomhower really digs into the kind of person he was and how dedicated he was to the space program. One of the things that I learned from this book is that the Apollo 1 tragedy was a double loss for Indiana, in that Roger Chafee was a Purdue grad.
December 27, 2014
Not only a good book, but a necessary one as well. If you (like me) have read and watched a lot of material on astronauts and other important people involved in early manned space exploration, you will probably see a lot of quotes and details that are familiar to you. This isn't a knock on the book, as clearly the author has done his research. But there are plenty of details, especially in terms of local history and in the epilogue that I haven't seen talked about as much. That makes this a worthwhile read.
September 3, 2012
Reading about one of Indiana's heroes ( & "Mitchell's Own" ) made sense as I am an Indiana native. I was not disappointed. This book gives the reader a clear, honest prospective of the life of Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom. Author Ray Boomhower sheds light on Grissom's early years, his military service, his career with NASA & home life.
April 23, 2013
Good book about Gus's life, and death. It doesn't get all buried in the space program stuff, though a lot of it takes place in that world - of course. If you have a fair background on the space program, you should be more than able to follow what's going on.
A good read about one of the true heros of space exploration.
A good read about one of the true heros of space exploration.
August 12, 2015
I've read a lot about NASA, mostly about the Apollo missions. This was a great overview of the Mercury and Gemini eras. Gus is a great example of someone who works hard for the greater good of others, a real servant leader.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews