Ham the Astrochimp in 1961.
(Credit:
NASA)
ALAMOGORDO, N.M.--A flat plaque in cement on the ground in front of the flagpoles at the New Mexico Museum of Space History marks the final resting place for Ham the Astrochimp. I've brought flowers to spruce the place up a little bit, but it still looks very plain. This isn't quite what I expected. I thought the grave of a space pioneer might have a little more flair.
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Ben Cosgrove of LIFE Magazine says, Today, January 31, is the 50th anniversary of Ham the Astrochimp's 1961 space flight -- the first time any hominid went into space -- and this morning we published a gallery of rare and never-seen... Read Post
1. Ham Ham the Astrochimp traveled on board the Mercury Redstone rocket on January 31, 1961. Bonus fact: Ham's original name was the less personal No. 65. Image courtesy of NASA Click here to view this gallery. More About: NASA, Wat... Read Post
Fifty years ago, no hominid had ever made it into space. Ham the Astrochimp, aside from having one of the greatest names in the history of science, changed all that. LIFE has never before seen photos of the furry starblazer. More » Read Post