| Date & Time | Tickets | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, November 16 | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST | Available | Free | Virtual |
On July 21, 1961, NASA astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom became the second American in space when he piloted the Mercury capsule Liberty Bell 7. After a successful suborbital flight and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, a prematurely jettisoned hatch caused the capsule to flood and unexpectedly sink, disappearing nearly three miles below the surface. Grissom was rescued (and was later recovered by Intrepid after his Gemini III mission in 1965), but for decades, Liberty Bell 7 remained one of America’s most elusive space artifacts.
In 1999, using modern technology under the direction of deep-sea salvage expert Curt Newport, a specialized team successfully located and raised Liberty Bell 7 from the ocean floor after 38 years. The capsule was restored and is now preserved at the Cosmosphere in Kansas, offering a rare glimpse into the early days of human spaceflight.
Join us for a conversation with Curt Newport about the challenges of deep-ocean recovery, the story of how his team brought Liberty Bell 7 back to the surface, and what this remarkable achievement means for preserving the legacy of America’s first astronauts.
Live streamed via the Intrepid Museum’s Facebook, YouTube, and X, as well as NASASpaceflight’s YouTube and X, and Kerbal Space Academy’s Twitch.
Funded by: The Virtual Astronomy Live is supported through a NASA Cooperative Agreement awarded to the New York Space Grant Consortium.
The program is also supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
