New York ticker-tape parade in honour of John Young and Virgil 'Gus' Grissom, Gemini 3 spacecraft astronauts, 29 march 1965. Closest to the camera is John Young, on the far side is Virgil 'Gus' Grissom. Gemini 3 was launched on 23 March 1965 into a 3-orbit demonstration flight. It carried the first computer into space, allowing in-flight orbital changes to be calculated. Gemini 3 was thus the first manned craft to intentionally change its orbit. John Young was the seventh American into space, performing a career total of six space flights. Grissom was the second US astronaut, and was tragically killed in a launchpad fire on 27 January 1967 during part of the Apollo programme.