Read the stories of early space exploration from the original transcripts. Now open to the public in a searchable, linkable format. …highly addictive… — The Huffington Post Featured Missions Mercury 4 (1961) NASA's second suborbital mission was a success until after splashdown, when the hatch blew unexpectedly, forcing pilot Gus Grissom to egress into the water as the capsule began to sink. Gemini