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 Launch of Mercury-Redstone 2 | |
| Mission type | Test flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | 16 minutes, 39 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 679 kilometers (422 mi) |
| Apogee | 253 kilometers (157 mi) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Mercury No.5 |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Aircraft |
| Launch mass | 1,203 kilograms (2,652 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 1 chimpanzee |
| Members | Ham |
| Callsign | Mercury-Redstone 2 |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | January 31, 1961, 16:55 UTC |
| Rocket | Redstone MRLV MR-2 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-5 |
| End of mission | |
| Recovered by | USS Donner |
| Landing date | January 31, 1961, 17:12 UTC |
.jpg) Ham Project Mercury Mercury-Redstone series | |
Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) was the test flight of the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle just prior to the first crewed American space mission in Project Mercury. Carrying a chimpanzee named Ham on a suborbital flight, Mercury spacecraft Number 5 was launched at 16:55 UTC on January 31, 1961, from LC-5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The capsule and Ham, the first great ape in space, landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean 16 minutes and 39 seconds after launch.