HAM Space Chimp Grave in Alamogordo

This is the Grave site of the first monkey in space HAM

Ham (July 1957 -- January 19, 1983), also known as Ham the Chimp and Ham the Astrochimp, was the first hominid launched into outer space. Ham's name is an acronym for the lab that prepared him for his historic mission — the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center, located at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Ham was born in July 1957 in present-day Cameroon and captured by animal trappers and sent to Rare Bird Farm in Miami, Florida. He was purchased by the United States Air Force and brought to Holloman Air Force Base in 1959.
There were originally 40 chimpanzee flight candidates at Holloman. After evaluation the number of candidates was reduced to 18, then to 6 including Ham.

A part of Ham is buried at the NM Museum of Space History. Here's the gruesome odyssey of the chimp. When he died at the National Zoological Park in Washington DC in January 1983, his body was turned over to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

The carcass was delivered to the AFIP on 19 January, where it was photographed and necropsied. The skeleton was eventually taken to the Dermestid beetle colony at the Smithsonian Institution to be cleaned of flesh. The skeleton was to remain the property of the AFIP.

Here is the telling line from the report of the AFIP Director, William R. Cowan, Colonel USAF. "It is recommended that the skin be given to The Aerospace Museum, Washington, D.C. for a mounted specimen and that the remainder of the carcass be forwarded to the International Space Hall of Fame at Alamagordo, New Mexico for burial."

So, something of the chimp is buried beneath the bronze plaque at what is now the NM Museum of Space History. Exactly what, I'm not sure any one could say.

Incidentally, John Stapp officiated at the ceremony dedicating the small memorial garden and bronze plaque.


Inscription Reads:
"WORLD'S FIRST ASTROCHIMP HAM
BORN: 1955 CAMEROON EQUATORIAL AFRICA
DIED: 18 JAN 1983 NORTH CAROLINA ZOOLOGICAL PARK N.C
HIS NAME IS AN ACRONYM FOR HOLLOMAN AERO MED.
HAM'S TRAINING CULMINATED ON JAN 3 1961, BY RIDING IN A CAPSULE PERCHED ATOP AN 83-FOOT REDSTONE ROCKET LAUNCHED FROM CAPE CANAVERAL FLORIDA. REACHING A TOP SPEED OF 5,800 MPH AND AN ALTITUDE OF 155 MILES. HE WAS RECOVERED AT SEA 420 MILES DOWN RANGE FROM THE LAUNCH SITE.
HAM PROVED THAT MANKIND COULD LIVE AND WORK IN SPACE.

DEDICATED MARCH 28 1983"

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• First
• Space
• Monkey
• Alamogordo
• History
• Museum
• New
• Mexico
• Chimp
• Chimpanzee
• Primate
• Exploration
• Holloman
• Aero
• Med
• John
• P.
• history
• old
• nasa
• space
• chimp
• science
• rocket

[windap55]

They could of at least gave him a beautiful headstone. I haven't forgotten him, or the thousands of other chimpanzees our government has used and is using in research.

[kirkmach32]

Nobody leaves him bananas any more. Ahhhh, well. You give your all for the cause, and all you get is a hot dusty resting spot and vandals. How soon we forget.

[TheSpacemonkey420]

I LIVE!

[TrueDavebucket]

When John Glen Dies they have the same agreement , to donate his skin to the Aerospace museum.

[ayanessko]

dang it..at least give him a nice place to be buried.unlike that place..ugh..

and about "The skeleton was eventually taken to the Dermestid beetle colony at the Smithsonian Institution to be cleaned of flesh.

and. "It is recommended that the skin be given to The Aerospace Museum, Washington, D.C.

-so disrespectful..

[Nickubus99]

Damn they are disrespectful. "First Astrochimp". He was the first Hominid in space and the first hominid to partially pilot a craft in space. First astrochimp, pfffft.

[kingsman565]

It's the story of all fallen hero's.