Amerika’s Tweede Ruimtevaarder (Dutch, 1961)

The film chronicles the launch of the Mercury Redstone rocket from Cape Canaveral on July 21, 1961, which carries astronaut Virgil Ivan Grissom into space. Grissom, a former jet pilot, undergoes rigorous training and prepares for the mission in a specially designed capsule named Liberty Bell 7. The launch is successful, reaching a peak altitude of 190 km and a speed of 8400 km/h. After a brief period of weightlessness, Grissom safely separates from the rocket and pilots the capsule. However, the landing in the Atlantic Ocean is complicated by a window breaking, causing water to enter the capsule. Grissom is eventually rescued by a helicopter, humorously requesting a tissue upon his retrieval. Despite the capsule’s loss, valuable data from the mission is preserved.

Keywords
Mercury Redstone, Virgil Grissom, space launch, Cape Canaveral, astronaut, Liberty Bell 7, weightlessness, rescue, data recovery, 1961

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