# Gus Grissom and the hatch

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gus-grissom-and-the-hatch/717951>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 18, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gus-grissom-and-the-hatch/717951 "2015-04-18T01:16:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gus-grissom-and-the-hatch/717951/1 "2015-04-18T01:16:13Z")

</div>

Hello Everyone,

I’m just curious, there had seemed to be some debate (not so much today) if Gus Grissom panic ed and blew the hatch on his Mercury capsule. But, I think the fact that NASA let him fly again and had he’d not been killed in Apollo 1 testing he would have been the first to step on the moon. Was there seriously anyone at NASA that had doubts as to him blowing the hatch or was that issued settled pretty quickly?

My understanding is that after they found the capsule it was discovered that a panel had come loose from the outside and more than likely a parachute line toggled an emergency pull switch that detonated the capsule door.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gus-grissom-and-the-hatch/717951/2 "2015-04-18T01:50:31Z")

</div>

[Previous thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=412638)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gus-grissom-and-the-hatch/717951/3 "2015-04-18T02:18:58Z")

</div>

Thanks I should have searched before I posted.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gus-grissom-and-the-hatch/717951/4 "2015-04-19T19:51:58Z")

</div>

> [@obbn](#):
>
> Thanks I should have searched before I posted.

[Indeed](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=726180). 😃

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gus-grissom-and-the-hatch/717951/5 "2015-04-19T21:07:15Z")

</div>

**Moderator Action**

Since there is already another active thread on this topic, I’m just going to close this one.

Thread closed.