Attempted Recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of MR-4 mission

S61-02824 (21 July 1961) --- A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter attempts an unsuccessful recovery of the Mercury-Redstone 4 "Liberty Bell 7" spacecraft. The spacecraft hatch opened prematurely, and astronaut Virgil I. Grissom, pilot, escaped into the water. The helicopter hooked onto the spacecraft but could not retrieve it. Grissom was recovered by another helicopter and flown to the recovery ship, USS Randolph. The Mercury spacecraft sank to the bottom of the ocean. Photo credit: NASA