Grissom exonerated
The question of whether Grissom accidentally (or on purpose) hit the button that opened the hatch haunted him. Grissom was cleared by NASA of wrongdoing, and Apollo flight director Gene Kranz said, “If Gus says he didn’t do it, he didn’t do it.” NASA put Grissom in leadership roles for Gemini and Apollo flights, unlikely if they thought he blew the hatch. Even so, the press and public opinion wasn’t as kind. The evidence supported Grissom and Kranz. For one thing, there was no bruising on his hand that would have occurred if he pushed the emergency hatch detonator. Additionally, there was the recovery pilots claim of a flash. Modern analysis indicates the ‘flash’ was a static electric reaction, one that could have triggered the hatch. As a result of the Liberty Bell 7 incident, NASA designed future capsules to have a hatch only ground crews could open.