Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, pilot of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) “Liberty Bell 7” spaceflight, enjoys a meal aboard the recovery ship, USS Randolph, following his 15-minute, 37-second suborbital space mission. NASA Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom , born April 3, 1926, in Mitchell, Indiana. As one of NASA’s first seven astronauts, he became America’s second astronaut to fly in space when he launched aboard the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft on July 21, 1961, just weeks after Alan Shepard’s historic first Project Mercury spaceflight. In this photo, Grissom is seen enjoying a meal aboard the recovery ship, USS Randolph, following his 15-minute suborbital mission. Although the flight itself was smooth, the situation turned dangerous after splashdown when the capsule’s hatch blew prematurely and the spacecraft began flooding with water.…