He became the first ape astronaut. His mission was to bring humans closer to space. But Nasa was not ready. Just as the Soviets seemed to master the space race, Ham became the only hope for the US. A challenge that became difficult when his space capsule started failing in mid orbit. You can now also find us on Youtube: http://bit.ly/yt-thekiwi | The Kiwi

This video shows Ham, the first chimpanzee launched into space by NASA in 1961, testing whether a living being could survive launch, weightlessness, and reentry. His mission proved that humans could follow, laying the groundwork for the first crewed spaceflights of the space age. Follow @spaceeves #SpaceHistory #NASA #HamTheChimp #HumanSpaceflight | SpaceEve