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Author
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Topic: When did Gus Grissom say: "If we die..."?
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gleopold
Member Posts: 31
From: Reston, VA, USA
Registered: Jun 2010
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posted 06-03-2010 07:41 PM
   
Put on your thinking caps, I've got a head scratcher.Does anyone know where and/or when Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom uttered his famous quote: If we die, we want people to accept it. 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. The standard citations are "Footprints on the Moon" (AP, 1969, page 125) and Time magazine coverage (Feb. 3, 1967). However, neither source states when and where Gus Grissom actually spoke these words, which were of course widely cited after the Apollo 1 fire.Any help would be greatly appreciated. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-03-2010 11:31 PM
After the Gemini 3 mission, March 1965, according to Wikipedia.I thought that phrase was used in press conference presenting the Mercury astronauts - also used in the movie the Right Stuff? Not sure. |
Lasv3
Member Posts: 410
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted 06-04-2010 01:59 AM
According to "Chariots for Apollo" (pg.220 2009 Dover Publications edition) Grissom said this " ..in an interview several weeks before the fire .." |
Jeff
Member Posts: 474
From: Fayetteville, NC, USA
Registered: May 2009
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posted 06-04-2010 06:07 AM
According to Chaikin in “A Man On The Moon”…Pg 22 – 23, sometime during Gemini Gus told his wife, “If there is ever a serious accident in the program, it’s probably going to be me”. It goes on to say that a few weeks before the fire, Gus made the statement in question to the press. |
Rick Boos
Member Posts: 851
From: Celina, Ohio
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 06-05-2010 01:27 PM
It was right before the Apollo 1 fire when a reporter ask him about the risk involved in flying a new spacecraft and (Gus) flying so many missions, I know because I recorded it from TV years ago during the Apollo 1 fire coverage. Actually Gus talked about dying a couple times. In the other interview when asked the same question(I believe with a different network) he said that there is a chance of a catastropic failue on any flight, it could happen on the first flight as well as the last so you kind of put it out of your mind and get a well trained crew and go fly. As a special note, Wally Schirra told me years ago that Gus thought about this topic (of dying) more then himself (Wally) and more then most of the others astronauts. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 06-05-2010 07:13 PM
In December 1966 the launch date of Apollo 1 was announced as 21 February, at which time a press conference was held and the crew were asked questions by the media, and particularly CBS correspondent Nelson Benton, who asked each of the crewmembers if they harboured any concerns about taking part in the flight. Grissom replied, "No, you sort of have to put that out of your mind. There's always a possibility that you can have a catastrophic failure, of course. This can happen on any flight. It can happen on the last one as well as the first one. You just plan as best you can to take care of all these eventualities, and you get a well-trained crew, and you go fly." |
Rick Boos
Member Posts: 851
From: Celina, Ohio
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 06-05-2010 10:58 PM
Thanks Colin! I have the tape in my files but didn't pull it out to get the exact quote and only went by memory. I believe another network interviewed Gus prior to the flight and he gave the other quote, but I'd have to listen to the tapes to be sure. |
gleopold
Member Posts: 31
From: Reston, VA, USA
Registered: Jun 2010
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posted 06-28-2010 05:31 PM
Rick, do you know which network and/or reporter? |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 06-28-2010 05:45 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Rick Boos:
As a special note, Wally Schirra told me years ago that Gus thought about this topic (of dying) more then himself (Wally) and more then most of the others astronauts.
I have to wonder if most of Gus' verbalized thoughts on the subject came after his close call on the MR-4 mission. He had a pretty close brush with death during a phase of the mission that should have been relatively "safe." Granted, some pilots tend to be a little fatalistic, accepting the fact that minor aspects of missions that are beyond their control can quickly kill them. |
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