How Ham Defied All Expectations

The video recounts the story of Ham, the first hominid in space, and his role in Project Mercury during the space race between the USA and USSR. It details the selection and training of Ham, a chimpanzee, for a suborbital flight aboard a Mercury Redstone rocket. Despite technical challenges during the mission, Ham successfully completed his tasks and returned safely, paving the way for human spaceflight. His mission's success led to the subsequent flight of Alan Shepard, although the Soviets won the race with Yuri Gagarin's orbital flight. Ham's legacy continues to influence space exploration today.

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