HAM, THE ASTRO-CHIMP, SURVIVES SPACE FLIGHT
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) Fifty-seven years ago, January 31, 1961, the United States successfully launched Ham*, a chimpanzee, into space. He survived the flight, which lasted 16 minutes and 39 seconds, with only a bruised nose. Ham was trained at Holloman Aerospace Medical Center**.
The flight exceeded the projected altitude of 115 miles by another 40 and landed 160 miles beyond the target. US Army neurosurgeon Joseph Brady conditioned Ham to pull the correct levers when certain lights flashed. The chimp was given an electric shock if he got it wrong, and a banana pellet if he got it right. NASA wanted to prove that if a chimp could function well in space, then so would human astronauts.
In December 1961, another American chimpanzee was launched into space while President John F. Kennedy was in the middle of a news conference.
At one point, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger walked to the podium and slipped JFK a note. The President read the note silently and then said...
"This chimpanzee who was flying in space, took off at 10:08. He reports that everything is going perfectly and working well."
*Ham (1956-1983) was brought to Miami, Florida in 1959 where he was bought by the USAF and sent to New Mexico for space training. After his successful space flight, Ham lived 17 years at Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo. He died at the North Carolina Zoo at the age of 26.
**Holloman AMC at Holloman AFB is located 6 miles from Alamogordo, New Mexico. The AFB was built in 1942.
SOURCE
"Holloman Aerospace Medical Center", www.nextexithistory.com/
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) Fifty-seven years ago, January 31, 1961, the United States successfully launched Ham*, a chimpanzee, into space. He survived the flight, which lasted 16 minutes and 39 seconds, with only a bruised nose. Ham was trained at Holloman Aerospace Medical Center**.
The flight exceeded the projected altitude of 115 miles by another 40 and landed 160 miles beyond the target. US Army neurosurgeon Joseph Brady conditioned Ham to pull the correct levers when certain lights flashed. The chimp was given an electric shock if he got it wrong, and a banana pellet if he got it right. NASA wanted to prove that if a chimp could function well in space, then so would human astronauts.
In December 1961, another American chimpanzee was launched into space while President John F. Kennedy was in the middle of a news conference.
At one point, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger walked to the podium and slipped JFK a note. The President read the note silently and then said...
"This chimpanzee who was flying in space, took off at 10:08. He reports that everything is going perfectly and working well."
*Ham (1956-1983) was brought to Miami, Florida in 1959 where he was bought by the USAF and sent to New Mexico for space training. After his successful space flight, Ham lived 17 years at Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo. He died at the North Carolina Zoo at the age of 26.
**Holloman AMC at Holloman AFB is located 6 miles from Alamogordo, New Mexico. The AFB was built in 1942.
SOURCE
"Holloman Aerospace Medical Center", www.nextexithistory.com/
Ham the Astrochimp
January 31, 1961
NASA Photo
