America's first space monkey
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ham the astrochimp after his historic 1961 suborbital flight. Aboard a NASA space capsule, traveling thousands of miles an hour almost 160 miles above the Earth, he became the first chimp in space. (Ralph MorseTime & Life Pictures)
Astrochimp in training, 1960. (Ralph CraneTime & Life Pictures)
"A hug and a pat are exchanged in a moment of fond reassurance." (Ralph CraneTime & Life Pictures)
A chimp is strapped into a "couch" rigged with all manner of monitoring equipment during a test prior to Ham's January 1961 flight. (Ralph CraneTime & Life Pictures)
An astrochimp learns to handle equipment at Holloman AFB, 1960. (Ralph CraneTime & Life Pictures)
Astrochimp in training at Holloman Air Force Base, 1960. (Ralph CraneTime & Life Pictures)
A Mercury space capsule carries Ham the astrochimp into space on Jan. 31, 1961. His flight lasted 16 minutes and 39 seconds. (Ralph MorseTime & Life Pictures)