This video shows Ham, the first chimpanzee launched into space by NASA in 1961, testing whether a living being could survive launch, weightlessness, and reentry. His mission proved that humans could follow, laying the groundwork for the first crewed spaceflights of the space age. Follow @spaceeves #SpaceHistory #NASA #HamTheChimp #HumanSpaceflight | SpaceEve

On July 21, 1961, NASA astronaut Gus Grissom completed the second successful human spaceflight mission for the United States of America. Space History Archives👉 https://space-com.visitlink.me/e-9Qgx His suborbital flight in the Liberty Bell 7 capsule lasted 15 minutes and 30 seconds and reached an altitude of 103 nautical miles. Everything went according to plan until just after Grissom splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. While Grissom was waiting for the recovery crew to come get him, the hat

On March 24, 1961, NASA's Mercury Redstone rocket launched on its last uncrewed flight before it started sending astronauts into space. The mission was known as the Mercury Redstone | Space.com

First American in space, Alan Shepard, used his astronaut diaper before liftoff on May 5, 1961. | USA TODAY Video

Do you know who was the first American astronaut to travel into space? On #ThisDayInHistory in 1961, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr., became the first American astronaut to travel into space. His suborbital flight, which lasted 15 minutes, was a major triumph for NASA. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-american-in-space | HISTORY