Astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom’s Mercury capsule was fitted with new larger foil framed trapezoidal window and an explosive hatch to allow rapid exit. The “crack” in the Liberty Bell was painted in white on the side. In Liberty Bell 7, Gus Grissom became the third human being into space. The flight portion of the mission was flawless, but after splashdown the explosive hatch misfired causing the capsule to sink and barely allowing Grissom to escape.

Launched: July 21, 1961 - 7:20am EST
Mission: Manned Sub-Orbital Flight
Launch Vehicle: Redstone Missile (ID: MR-8)
Launched From: Pad LC-5

Altitude: 118.3 statute miles
Orbits: 0
Duration: 0 Days, 0 hours, 15 min, 37 seconds
Distance: 302 statute miles
Velocity: 5,168 mph
Max Q: 610 psf
Max G: 11.1
Weightless Time: 5 minutes, 18 seconds

Landing: July 21, 1961 (Atlantic Ocean)
302 miles East of launch site
Recovered by Aircraft Carrier USS Randolph