Showing results for "The Astrochimps" in All Categories

Astrochimp, from Children's author David Walliams. Chump the chimpanzee was always being silly. He would: - make rude noises from BOTH ENDS… - pick his nose with his little toe… - eat the skins of bananas, hurling out the tasty part inside. NASA’s scientists thought he’d be the PERFECT...

On January 31, 1961, a three-year-old chimpanzee named Ham made history. Strapped inside a Mercury capsule, the little chimp blasted off into the sky, becoming the first intelligent being to ride an American rocket into suborbital space. Ham made a vital contribution to the United States space program. Because there were so many unanswered questions about space travel, scientists could not risk sending humans on a journey into the unknown. Chimpanzees, however, are very similar to humans in the makeup of their skeletons and internal organs.