The space chimp’s mission paved the way for Alan Shepard’s pioneering flight above the Earth’s atmosphere in 1961 and Ham went on to live a comfortable existence in U.S. zoos until his death in 1983—even finding time to appear on film with another national hero, Evel Knievel. Purchased by the US Air Force at the age of 2. During that time he reached the altitude of 157 miles, speed of 5857 [1], There were originally 40 chimpanzee flight candidates at Holloman. human manned mission on May 5, 1961. films following events of his mission. During the flight, Ham’s reaction to weightlessness and acceleration was tested by his performing the lever-pulling tasks he had trained for. He spent rest of his life in Washington, Beginning in July 1959, the three-year-old chimpanzee was trained under the direction of neuroscientist Joseph V. Brady at Holloman Air Force Base Aero Medical Field Laboratory to do simple, timed tasks in response to electric lights and sounds. [7]:316 Ham's capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean and was recovered by a rescue ship later that day. Three months after his flight into space, astronaut Alan Shepard followed him. [10] The skeleton is held in the collection of the National Museum of Health and Medicine. Ham’s story spans the globe and into the reaches of space. From the testing facility with 40 chimpanzees they selected 8 best candidates He was born in the wilderness of French Cameroons, part of present-day Cameroon, and captured by trappers in 1957. In December 1960 the 44-month old chimpanzee was trained to do simple tasks in response to electric lights and sounds, with response being timed. Doctors examine Ham the chimpanzee after his Mercury space flight Feb. 1, 1961. In the early years of the U.S./Soviet space race American scientist decided that He spent two years at a rare bird farm in Miami, Florida, … News videos. 2:24. Ham (July 1957 – January 19, 1983), also known as Ham the Chimp and Ham the Astrochimp, was a chimpanzee and the first hominid launched into space.On January 31, 1961, Ham flew a suborbital flight on the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission, part of the U.S. space program's Project Mercury. After his brave space mission, Ham splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean, to emerge from After evaluation the number of candidates was reduced to 18, then to 6, including Ham. Unfortunately, Ham's rocket overshot and boosted the chimp in his capsule to a speed of 5,857 mph. (NASA) In reality, the original Ham was selected from 40 chimps brought to New Mexico by the Air Force in 1959. After more Read Article . A "hand shake" welcome. Ham the Chimp became instant celebrity when he returned from his space mission. Minor spine wear, otherwise in nice condition. [7]:315 Ham's lever-pushing performance in space was only a fraction of a second slower than on Earth, demonstrating that tasks could be performed in space. paved the way for the successful launch of the Alan Shepard’s first American After her role in the Mercury program ended, Minnie became part of an Air Force chimpanzee breeding program, producing nine offspring and helping to raise the offspring of several other members of the chimpanzee colony. blinking light. Subscribe. On January 31, 1961, Ham blasted off from Cape Canaveral and traveled 157 miles in a Mercury capsule before splashing down in the Atlantic ocean. In July 1959, Ham was transferred to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, NM, to be trained for space … The trip took 16.5 minutes in all. Ham preformed perfectly, responding to the blue lights as intended. Ham (July 1956 – January 19, 1983), also known as Ham the Chimp and Ham the Astrochimp, was a chimpanzee and the first hominid launched into space, on 31 January 1961, as part of America's space program. Ham's average reaction time on the ground was .8 second, and during flight he averaged .82 second. The animal died Monday at … to the blue lights as intended. The space chimp’s mission paved the way for Alan Shepard’s pioneering flight above the Earth’s atmosphere in 1961 and Ham went on to live a comfortable existence in U.S. zoos until his death in 1983—even finding time to appear on film with another national hero, Evel Knievel. Tells of the very 1st hominid to launch into outer space. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. :245–246 Officially, Ham was known as No. Photograph of Ham the Space Chimp After Orbiting the Earth, January 31, 1961 On January 31, 1961, Ham the space chimpanzee made history by traveling in a Mercury capsule blasted into low Earth orbit. 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