A chimpanzee named Ham became the first primate to go to space aboard the US MR-2 spacecraft.
The trip was part of the Mercury Mission, which aimed to put the first man into Earth’s orbit. Ham played a vital role in teaching us that tasks could be carried out in space. Ham survived the trip and spent the rest of his life in zoos in Washington, D.C., and North Carolina before passing away in 1983. His remains were buried in the International Space Hall of Fame.