63 years ago, the United States sent a 3-year-old chimpanzee into space, and after returning to Earth in 16 minutes, he found that there was nothing wrong with him, and he also ate apples and oranges to a fragrant taste, but it didn't take long to find that he was very wrong, and finally lived to be 25 years old. Why is that?
In 1961, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a space race in full swing. In order to seize the opportunity to prove that living things can survive in space, the United States set its sights on chimpanzees, which are the closest to human genes, and a huge "draft" competition began.
Elite 40 chimpanzees from all over the world were gathered together and subjected to almost rigorous training. They need to adapt to the enclosed environment of a simulated space capsule, endure unimaginable psychological pressure, and learn to perform simple manipulation tasks: seeing a blue light flashing, they must accurately pry the lever within 5 seconds.
They are greeted with a sweet banana ball reward for each success, and a slight electric shock as punishment for each failure.
In this brutal knockout match, a 3-year-old chimpanzee named Hamm stood out from the "herd" with extraordinary talent and tenacious perseverance to win the precious ticket to space.
On January 31, 1961, a day destined to go down in history, Hamm was sent into the Mercury II spacecraft and began his fantasy drift in space.
Surprisingly, the well-planned journey was met with an accident shortly after liftoff. Due to a technical malfunction, the spacecraft deviated from the intended orbit, the oxygen content in the cabin began to drop sharply, and the atmosphere in the ground control center instantly became tense......
Time passed minute by minute, and after intense calculations and operations, the ground control center finally corrected the flight trajectory of the spacecraft and initiated the emergency return procedure.
16 minutes and 39 seconds, this is a short but long time spent in space, and finally carried Hamm's capsule into the vast Atlantic.
The search and rescue operation quickly began, and everyone was worried about Hamm's fate, but fortunately, after hours of searching, Hamm was finally rescued. When people saw him come out of the capsule unharmed, and happily feasted on apples and oranges, the hanging heart finally relaxed.
It is undeniable that Hamm's journey to space, although short, was epoch-making, proving that living things can survive in the space environment, taking a crucial step forward in human space exploration.
But this space adventure still left an indelible mark on Hamm. After returning to Earth, the staff examined and found that Hamm's heart rate was significantly higher than that of ordinary chimpanzees, almost twice the normal level, and although after a thorough examination, doctors did not find any organic lesions, but Hamm's health deteriorated.
For the next 22 years, Hamm spent the rest of his life in zoos in the United States, but it was clear that the influence of the space environment lingered on him, and in the end Hamm died at the age of 25, far below the average life expectancy of a chimpanzee at 40 years.
Hamm's departure has made people realize that the space environment is full of unknown risks and challenges for living organisms. His sacrifice also prompted scientists to continuously improve the design of the space capsule and the performance of the spacesuit, creating safer and more reliable space travel conditions for those who came after him.
(Information source: People's Information 2021.5.24 One of the "astronauts" chimpanzee flight adventure)
