There was no happier place for America’s first astronauts than the ocean. In those pre-shuttle days, returning crews did not coast to a stop on an ordinary runway like a business traveler coming home after a commuter hop. Rather, any trip to space ended with an ocean splashdown. Touching the water meant that your journey was done, your mission was in the books, and all that remained was a celebratory reception on the deck of a Naval carrier, a happy reunion with your family in Houston and, if you were so inclined, a return to the flight rotation so you could begin to train for your next trip aloft. But for Gus Grissom, who became the second American in space on July 21, 1961, the ocean offered no such safe embrace.