Originally captured in the Cameroon jungle, after his mission Ham spent 17 years in American zoos before his death in 1983. When the capsule opened up after splashdown the chimp reportedly emerged "burping proudly". Honouring HamĪccording to Life photographer Ralph Morse, Ham "was a very friendly fellow". Only a couple of months later Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth, swiftly followed by America's Alan Shephard. The risks involved were reflected in the banner headline of the San Francisco Examiner which proclaimed with some relief, "SPACE CHIMP LIVES!" The mission created considerable excitement in the US and Ham made the cover of Life magazine on Feb 10, 1961, looking cute in his Nasa helmet. The mission was hugely important because the chimp successfully pulled a couple of levers in flight, proving astronauts could perform tasks while in space. Thankfully Ham survived his 16min 39sec flight, splashing down in the Atlantic with little more than a bruised nose to become the first hominid in space. The reasoning was that the public would become upset if an animal with a name died in space, but would be less emotional about a number expiring.
Nasa officially called the chimp "No.65" and only recognised it as Ham after the successful completion of the mission. However, to his handlers he was Chop Chop Chang. The chimp in question was called Ham - not because he was partial to a certain sandwich, but rather an acronym for Holloman Aerospace Medical Center in New Mexico. Today marks the 60th anniversary of the first chimpanzee in space.
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