Ham's Safe Return to Earth

A chimpanzee survived in space

The first chimpanzee astronaut named Ham holds a newspaper chronicling his safe return to Earth, USA, February 1961. Front page headline: “A chimpanzee survived in space.” The primate received the name Ham only after a successful landing in the Atlantic Ocean - he only had a number during training and flight. The flight lasted 16 minutes and 39 seconds, and Ham was at an altitude of 253 km. During the flight, in response to each blue flash, Ham had to move the lever within five seconds; if he hadnt done so, he wouldnt have received a strong electric shock. The chimpanzee completed all the tasks. After the flight, Ham lived for 22 more years.

Previously in Old Photos: Apollo 11 on-board computer source code, 5 MB in 1956.