7 Hoosier astronauts are coming to Indiana for Gus Grissom fundraiser

Seven Indiana-born astronauts will be in Mitchell in Lawrence County on Saturday for a series of events to raise money for the Gus Grissom Boyhood Home. 

Grissom, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, was 2 years old when his parents bought the house. The Grissoms lived there until their deaths in the mid-1990s.

Grissom, the second American in space, was killed in 1967 with two other astronauts when a fire broke out in their spacecraft during a practice launch.

The house at 715 W. Grissom Ave. opened as a museum four years ago, said Steve Grissom, a cousin of the astronaut and president of the nonprofit that owns the house museum and operates it on a shoestring budget. Admission is free.

He expects Saturday's activities to raise $30,000.

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Only two of the nine living astronauts born in Indiana won't attend Saturday's "Galactic Gathering," Grissom said. Absent will be Serena Aunon-Chancellor, who is in Russia training for a flight, and Frank Borman, who is 90.

"Seven of nine is not too bad," Grissom said, "and they've never been on stage together at one time."

The seven are: Joe Allen, Mark Brown, Tony England, Kevin Ford, Jerry Ross, Charlie Walker and David Wolf. They'll be on hand for various activities including a roundtable discussion and a photo opportunity. Anyone can pay $50 to have their picture taken with all seven. For $25 you can tour the home and meet Mark Grissom, one of the astronaut's sons, and Mark's son Cody.

For complete information, go to facebook.com/GusGrissomBoyhoodMuseum/

The museum, open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday from Memorial Day through October, looks much like it did when Gus Grissom lived there as a boy. Among items on display is a knife the future spaceman made in shop class and the shotgun he bought with money he earned delivering The Indianapolis Star. 

Call IndyStar reporter Will Higgins at (317) 444-6043. Follow him on Twitter: @WillRHiggins.