More like this
Animals in space
- 1 of 5
- ››
50 years ago today Ham the chimpanzee (above) was sent into space by the newly formed NASA. He was dressed in a nappy and a spacesuit before being sealed into the capsule of Mercury-Redstone 2 spacecraft. Upon returning from his 16-minute ordeal he became an international celebrity and received fanmail up until his death in 1983. Photo: NASA
In pictures: From Laika the canine cosmonaut to Ham the chimpanzee, the animals who paved the way for human spaceflight