Ham the Chimp
Astronaut
Ham was one of the chimps specially trained by rocket scientists to fly in tests of American space capsules. On January 31, 1961, Ham blasted off from Cape Canaveral and travelled 157 miles in a Mercury capsule before splashing down in the Atlantic ocean. Three months later the first American human, Alan Shepard, followed him into space.Extra credit: The first animal in space was Laika the dog, who was sent into orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957.
Ham stars with daredevil Evel Knievel in our loop More By Audacity Than Cranial Capacity... He also appears with language pioneer Nim Chimpsky in our loop Great Apes!
Four Good Links
MR-2: Ham Paves the Way
NASA's detailed history of the flight
Project Mercury Mission MR-2
Just the basics of Ham's flight
Ham the Astrochimp
Notes from the Roadside Pet Cemetery guide
The Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care
A bid to retire Ham's USAF comrades
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Africa
Death
19 January 1983
(age 27)
Best Known As
America's first chimpanzee in space
