Gus Grissom was an American astronaut who was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. He was the second American to fly in space and the first to make two space flights. His first mission was the suborbital Mercury-Redstone 4 in 1961. His second mission was the Gemini 3 mission in 1965. GUS Grissom's full name was Virgil Ivan 'GUS' Grissom. Gil Grissom was his son, Mae Grissom was his wife, and Neil Grissom was his brother.