He seemed quite cheerful and at ease and screeched at them a few times when flashlights went off too near his face.
Photographers had a brief glimpse of Ham after his physical examination and before he was strapped into his pressurised suit and couch. A NASA spokesman said chimpanzees were chosen because “their high intelligence and docility make them outstanding performers in the conduct of complex tasks in restricted situations.” The chimpanzee entered the capsule after an exhaustive physical examination he was chosen last night as the physically and psychologically best fitted of the six monkeys here. Six of the seven astronauts were here to watch and help in today’s up and down flight, which one of them may make as early as April if careful physical and mental checks on the monkey and all technical aspects show the flight to be a complete success.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said instruments showed that the chimpanzee “performed satisfactorily during the flight.” He will be brought to Cape Canaveral for still further tests some time late tomorrow. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said this was because of “higher than usual booster thrust.”Īfter being taken out of the capsule, Ham promptly shook hands with the veterinary surgeon and was then taken to the sick bay for preliminary examination. It landed about 420 miles down range instead of 290 miles, and travelled at 5,000 m.p.h. The nine-foot-high Mercury capsule, mounted in a Redstone rocket, carried the chimpanzee in a form-fitting fibre-glass couch 40 miles higher than expected - to 155 miles.
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