Mercury MR-2

Launch & landing data: Designation  1961-Sub1 Launch date - time  31 Jan 1961 - 16:55 UT Launch site  CC, LC54 Launch vehicle  Redstone-Mercury(#MRLV-2) Payload  Mercury SC5 Mass (kg)  1203 kg Crew  chimpanzee Ham Suborbital flight:    - Altitude  253 km (157 miles) Distance traveled  679 km (422 miles) Max Velocity  9426 km/h (5,857 mph) Max Q  575 psf Max G  14.7 g (144 m/s²) Landing date - time  31 Jan 1961 - 17:12 UT Landing location  Atlantic, 673 km from launch place Prime recovery ship  USS Donner (LSD 20) Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  16 min, 39 sec Nbr orbits  0

Chimpanzee Ham

Mission Objective:

Mission details:

• The MR-2 flight was one in a series of flights in preparation for manned orbital flight NASA's Project Mercury program.
• Mercury spacecraft # 5 carried Ham the Chimp as a passenger on a suborbital space flight launched on Redstone MRLV-2.
• Spacecraft # 5 contained six new systems that had not been on previous flights: environmental control system, attitude stabilization control system, live retrorockets, voice communications system, "closed loop" abort sensing system, and a pneumatic landing bag.
• The previous Mercury-Redstone mission, MR-1A, flew a trajectory that was too steep with accelerations too high for a human passenger. MR-1A had climbed to its programmed apogee of about 130 miles (209 km) and landed 235 miles (378 km) downrange. Mercury-Redstone 2 would follow a more flattened trajectory. Its planned flight path was an apogee of 115 miles (185 km) and a range of 290 miles (467 km).
• Six chimpanzees (four female and two male) and twenty medical specialists and animal handlers from Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, where the chimps live and were trained, were moved into quarters behind Hangar "S" at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 2, 1961. The six chimps were trained in Mercury simulators for three weeks. The day before the flight, two chimps were chosen for the mission. One primary, Ham, and one backup, a female chimp named Minnie. The competition was fierce, but Ham was full of energy and good humor. Ham was named in honor of Holloman Aerospace Medical Center. Ham was from Cameroun, Africa, (original name Chang, Chimp # 65). He was purchased by the USAF July 9, 1959.
• At 12:53 UTC, January 21, 1961, Ham was inserted into the spacecraft. The countdown was then delayed almost four hours because of a hot inverter, and several other minor problems.
• Finally at 16:55 UTC the MR-2 lifted off. Computers reported one minute after launch, the flight path angle was at least one degree high and rising. At two minutes, the computers predicted a 17 g (167 m/s²) acceleration. At 2 minutes 17 seconds into the flight, the liquid oxygen supply was depleted. The closed-loop abort system sensed a change in engine chamber pressure when the LOX supply was depleted and fired the launch escape system. The abort signalled a Mayday message to the recovery forces.
• The high flight angle, and the early abort, caused the maximum velocity of the spacecraft to be 7,540 ft/s (2,298 m/s) instead of the planned 6,465 ft/s (1,970 m/s). The retrorockets had been jettisoned during the abort and therefore could not be used to slow down the spacecraft. All of this added up to an overshoot of the planned landing area by 130 miles (209 km) and an apogee of 157 miles (253 km) instead of 115 miles (185 km).
• Another problem occurred at 2 minutes and 18 seconds into the flight, when cabin pressure dropped from 5.5 to 1 lb/in² (38 to 7 kPa). This malfunction was traced later to the air inlet snorkel valve. Vibrations had loosened a pin in the snorkel valve and allowed the valve to open. Ham was safe in his own couch spacesuit and did not suffer any ill effects from the loss of cabin pressure. His couch spacesuit pressure remained normal, and suit temperature stayed well within the 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 26 °C) optimum range.
• Because of overacceleration of the launch vehicle and the boost from the escape rocket, a speed of 5,857 mph (9,426 km/h) was reached instead of the 4,400 mph (7,081 km/h) planned. At apogee Ham's spacecraft was 48 miles (77 km) farther downrange than planned. Ham was weightless for 6.6 minutes instead of the 4.9 minutes that were planned. The spacecraft landed 422 miles (679 km) downrange after a 16.5 minute flight. He received 14.7 g (144 m/s²) during reentry, almost 3 g (29 m/s²) greater than planned.
• Ham performed his tasks well, pushing levers about 50 times during the flight. Onboard cameras filming Ham's reaction to weightlessness showed a surprising amount of dust and debris floating around inside the capsule during apogee.
• The spacecraft touched down, about 12:12 p.m., out of sight from recovery forces. About 12 minutes later, the first recovery signal was received from the spacecraft. Tracking showed it was about 60 miles (96 km) from the nearest recovery ship, the destroyer Ellison. Twenty-seven minutes after landing, a P2V search plane sighted the capsule floating upright in the Atlantic. The search plane requested that the Navy send its rescue helicopters from closest ship carrying them. The Navy dispatched helicopters from the next closest ship, the LSD Donner. When they arrived they found the spacecraft on its side, taking on water, and submerging. The beryllium heat shield upon water impact had bounced against the capsule bottom, punching two holes in the titanium pressure bulkhead. The landing bag had worn badly, and the heatshield was torn free from the spacecraft before recovery. After the craft capsized, the open snorkel valve let still more sea water enter the capsule. When the helicopter crew finally latched onto and picked up Ham's spacecraft at 18:52 UTC., they estimated there was about 800 pounds (363 kg) of sea water aboard. The spacecraft was flown to and lowered to the deck of the USS Donner . When the spacecraft was opened Ham appeared to be in good condition and readily accepted an apple and half an orange.
• Ham was 3 years 8 months old at launch. After his spaceflight he retired to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. for 17 years and then in 1981 was moved to a zoo in North Carolina to live with a colony of other chimps. He died on January 19, 1983, at the age 25. Ham is buried at the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico. He was one of many animals in space.
• Ham's backup, Minnie was the only female chimp trained for the Mercury program. After her role in the Mercury program ended, Minnie became part of an Air Force chimp-breeding program, producing nine offspring and helping raise the offspring of several other members of the chimp colony. She was the last surviving astro-chimp. She died at age 41 on March 14, 1998. Minnie is buried next to Ham at the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
• With all of the malfunctions during the flight, the Mercury-Redstone was still not ready for a human passenger. MR-3 was postponed for a booster development flight, Mercury-Redstone BD.
• Mercury spacecraft # 5 used in the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission, is currently displayed at the California Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, California.

Pictured in his specially contoured couch aboard the MR-2 capsule. Photo Credit: NASA.

Crew members from the U.S.S. Donner work to remove Ham from the MR-2 capsule after recovery. Photo Credit: NASA.

Crewman aboard the USS Donner lift the cover from the couch.

Removing electrical wiring.

Chimpanzee Ham

Redstone rocket

Mission Highlights:

External links:

• AmericaSpace: Remembering the Unhappy Flight of Ham the Chimp

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Port Canaveral, Sarzin cover.

Launch cancel Patrick Air Force, Swanson cover. Credit 2 covers: R403

Launch cancel Patrick Air Force, Goldey cover, with a cachet depicting the flight path.

Recovery cancel Warrington (DD-843). Note: HAM was recovered by a helicopter at 2:42pm and was brought to the USS Donner. However the ship′s post office was closed on that day, so Rich Hoffner (who produced this cover) sent 63 covers to the secondary recovery ship U.S.S. Warrington to be postmarked for the Mercury-Redstone 2 recovery. Credit 2 covers: R403