Science: Saga of the Liberty Bell

The known and unknown perils of space stayed their hand last week as the U.S. shot a second man into space with almost clockwork success. What made the second flight less successful than the first —and nearly cost Astronaut Virgil ("Gus") Grissom his life—was the same primitive danger that threatened the skin-covered boats of neolithic man: the hostile and brooding sea.

In space, the Mercury capsule that bore Grissom 118 miles above the earth was a functioning—if not always perfect—vehicle; in the salt water of the Atlantic, it became as vulnerable as a paper...