Images Dated 11th December 1980

Ham, the chimpanzee who became a space race pioneer, has blasted off into retirement

Ham, the chimpanzee who became a space race pioneer, has blasted off into retirement. He is settling into a new home at a zoo after being pensioned off by the American authorities as "a national hero who has done his job well". Ham was rocketed into space in 1961, and his 155 mile trip upwards from the base in Florida paved the way for the first manned space flight by Alan Shepherd four months later.
December 1980

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