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Originally Posted by Susa
Seems Iran is at least 50 years behind us in the "Space Race". Judging by the pictures, it would appear that our little space traveler was a bit happier about his voyage!
From the California Science Center:
"January 31st marks the 52nd anniversary of the flight of HAM the chimpanzee in his Mercury-Redstone capsule.
To appreciate HAM's congribution to spaceflight it's important to remember where we were in the process of space exploration more than 50 years ago.
Rocket boosters didn't work very well. Human ability to function normally during spaceflight had yet to be proven. Space capsules were crude by today's standards although extremely advanced for the period. HAM was actually the subject of an experiment in mental acuity and hand-eye coordination. He pulled a set of levers in response to flashing lights in part to determine if a complex mammal (like a chimp) could manage to complete assigned tasks during weightlessness. To learn more about HAM's historic flight (and historic it was!) check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_2. Then come to the Science Center to see HAM's MR-2 capsule on display. Compare MR-2 to the Space Shuttle Endeavour and you'll see first hand what 50 years of progress in human space exploration actually means."
-Dr. Ken Phillips, Curator for Aerospace Science |
Iran is more than 50 years behind. More like several centuries.
