$HAM
The first chimpanzee in space was Ham, often called “Ham the Astrochimp.” He flew on January 31, 1961, aboard the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission as part of the U.S. Project Mercury program. His suborbital flight helped NASA test whether a living primate could perform tasks in space before sending humans. Ham’s flight lasted about 16½ minutes, and he reached an altitude of roughly 157 miles (253 km) before safely returning to Earth. The mission helped pave the way for Alan Shepard to become the first American in space just a few months later. A related fun fact: the first chimpanzee to orbit Earth (not just a suborbital flight) was Enos later in 1961.
