To be sung to the tune of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”:
“It was 50 years ago today
Alan Shepard was our first in space
It was just 116 miles
But was guaranteed to raise a smile.
So let me introduce to you
The astronaut you’ve known for years:
On this day 50 years ago, Ham the Chimp blasted off in a Mercury rocket and flew 157 miles in space, just to see if it would be safe to send less hairy apes into orbit.
It was, pretty much.
LIFE magazine has a feature today where you can see rare photos of Ham the Chimp, called “In Praise of Ham the Chimp.”
Go see them.