Jan. 31 marks the anniversary of “Ham” the chimpanzee’s controversial space flight, which happened on Jan. 31, 1961. Though not the first animal sent to space, Ham was the first hominid – any species including humans in the great ape category – to make it there. A Mercury-Redstone launch from Cape Canaveral carried the chimpanzee over 640 kilometers down range in an arching trajectory that reached a peak of 254 kilometers above the Earth. The mission was successful and Ham performed his lever-pulling task well in response to the flashing light.
NASA used chimpanzees and other primates to test the Mercury Capsule before launching the first American astronaut Alan Shepard in May 1961. The flight and recovery confirmed the soundness of the Mercury-Redstone systems, according to NASA.
In this file photo, “Ham” is seen on the biopack couch for the MR-2 suborbital test flight.
Handout Via NASA
Closeup view of the chimpanzee “Ham”, the live test subject for the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) test flight, following his successful recovery from the Atlantic.
Handout Via NASA
“Ham” during preflight activity with one of his handlers prior to the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) test flight. “Ham” was about 3-and-a-half years old at the time of the flight.
Handout Via NASA
“Ham” in his flight couch, after his trip in the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) on Jan. 31, 1961.
Handout Via NASA
S61-00203 (31 Jan. 1961) — Chimpanzee “Ham” with bio-sensors attached to his body is readied by handlers for his trip in the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) spacecraft.
Handout Via NASA
Chimpanzee “Ham” who flew America’s first suborbital space flight, samples NASA’s Skylab space drink on Oct. 1, 1973 at the National Zoo in Washington D.C., where he lived from 1963 to 1980. He was transferred to the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro, where he died in 1983, according to the Smithsonian.
STF, AFP Via Getty Images
