Grissom, Virgil Ivan
Grissom, Virgil Ivan (1926-1967), was one of the first United States astronauts, and the first American to make more than one space flight. Grissom and astronauts Edward H. White II and Roger Chaffee were killed on Jan. 27, 1967, when fire swept through their Apollo command module during a test on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral), Florida.