Now - Jan. 7, 2001

     Nearly 40 years ago and just 10 minutes after splashdown, the Liberty Bell 7, the second United States space capsule on a manned mission, sank into the Atlantic Ocean. The Mercury capsule came to rest three miles below the surface - even deeper than the Titanic - and has not been seen in public until now. Visitors to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis will discover the mission, the astronaut and the amazing recovery of the Liberty Bell 7 capsule in a new exhibit titled:

     The Lost Spacecraft: The Liberty Bell 7 Recovered. 

     Virgil  "Gus" Grissom was a pioneer in the Mercury space program and became the second American to travel into space. His historic adventure began in the Liberty Bell capsule that rested on top of an Army Redstone rocket.  The successfully launched rocket blasted into space in 1961. Grissom got an expansive view of the Earth from 118 miles above the planet, experienced five minutes and eighteen seconds of weightlessness and then re-entered the Earth's atmosphere.  In a nearly perfect maneuver, he splashed down just three miles short of the bull's eye that was Cape Canaveral, Fla. Suddenly, the hatch cover blew off the capsule before the rescue helicopter could attach a retrieval line. As water poured inside and the spacecraft began to sink, Grissom struggled to free himself and was lifted out of the Atlantic. The Liberty Bell 7 filled with water and became too heavy for the helicopter crew to rescue.

     The Liberty Bell 7 became the only manned U.S. spacecraft not recovered from a successful mission. While the desire to retrieve it existed, the technology to retrieve something 16,000 feet below the surface did not. An amazing 1999 expedition recovered the capsule. The Discovery Channel sponsored the expedition, which was supported by hundreds of engineers, scientists, historians and oceanographic technicians, and led by deep-sea recovery expert Curt Newport. 

     Now museum visitors can experience the high adventure of space and undersea exploration, and view the actual space capsule!  Dedicated to the memory of Mitchell, Ind., resident and Purdue alumnus Gus Grissom, this exhibit is one you won't want to miss.