Ham the Astrochimp

The words

1. Alamogordo

   After Ham died in 1983, his skeleton was retained for research. His other remains were buried at the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

   North Carolina: Ham’s years after flight (opens a new tab)

2. Astrochimp

   Ham flew aboard Mercury-Redstone 2 on January 31, 1961, before the first American astronaut flight. His suborbital journey reached space without circling Earth.

   Did you know?

   A second chimpanzee, Enos, flew an orbital Mercury mission on November 29, 1961. His flight preceded John Glenn’s orbital mission.

   NASA: Ham and his trainers (opens a new tab) · NASA: Mercury chimpanzee flight results (opens a new tab)

3. Banana Pellet

   Banana pellets rewarded Ham’s correct training responses. Electrical shocks were also used when the chimpanzees failed to respond as required.

   Smithsonian: Ham’s training and flight (opens a new tab)

4. Blue Light

   A blue light warned Ham to respond to a lever during flight. Failure to respond brought an electrical shock; researchers recorded his responses as a measure of performance.

   p. 21 · NASA: Mercury chimpanzee flight results (opens a new tab)

5. Cabin Pressure

   Ham’s Mercury spacecraft partly lost cabin pressure during flight. His separate pressurized couch protected his breathing, but after splashdown the spacecraft also began taking on water.

   Smithsonian: Ham’s training and flight (opens a new tab)

6. Cameroon

   Ham was born in 1957 in the French Cameroons in West Africa. Trappers captured him before he was transported to the United States.

   North Carolina: Ham’s years after flight (opens a new tab)

7. Chimpanzee

   Researchers studied Ham’s learned behavior during spaceflight. He survived the mission, but the medical report found dehydration after his flight and prolonged restraint.

   pp. 21–23, 29–31 · NASA: Mercury chimpanzee flight results (opens a new tab)

8. Holloman

   Ham trained at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. His name was an acronym for the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center, the laboratory that prepared him for flight.

   Did you know?

   Ham’s laboratory designation was Number 65, a name used in accounts of his preparations for spaceflight.

   North Carolina: Ham’s historical marker (opens a new tab) · Smithsonian: Ham’s training and flight (opens a new tab)

9. Joseph Brady

   Behavioral scientist Joseph V. Brady worked with NASA to design ways of studying chimpanzee behavior in flight. His work connected the Walter Reed research team with Mercury’s animal program.

   Brady the Scientist · Thompson: Brady’s behavioral research (opens a new tab)

10. Lever

    Ham operated levers on a test panel inside his couch. Researchers recorded his responses during launch, weightlessness and reentry to study how spaceflight affected learned behavior.

    pp. 21–23 · NASA: Mercury chimpanzee flight results (opens a new tab)

11. National Zoo

    Ham lived for many years alone at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. In 1980, he moved to the North Carolina Zoo to live among other chimpanzees.

    North Carolina: Ham’s years after flight (opens a new tab) · Smithsonian: Ham’s training and flight (opens a new tab)

12. New Mexico

    Ham’s preparations began at Holloman in New Mexico and continued at Cape Canaveral in Florida. NASA records part of his training at the Cape’s Hangar S.

    North Carolina: Ham’s historical marker (opens a new tab) · NASA: Ham and his trainers (opens a new tab)

13. Rare Bird Farm

    Ham was sent to a Florida bird farm after his capture. In 1959, the U.S. Air Force acquired him and moved him to Holloman.

    Smithsonian: Ham’s training and flight (opens a new tab)

14. Reaction Time

    The delay between a signal and a response.

    NASA compared Ham’s in-flight blue-light responses with his preflight performance. Reaction times stayed close to the earlier average, although performance on the other lever task declined after reentry.

    pp. 21–23 · NASA: Mercury chimpanzee flight results (opens a new tab)

15. USS Donner

    The USS Donner served as Ham’s recovery ship after his Atlantic splashdown. NASA’s mission account pictures him aboard the ship following the Mercury-Redstone 2 flight.

    NASA: Mercury’s recovery ship (opens a new tab)