Ham the chimpanzee was trained to manipulate levers as part of behavioral conditioning for spaceflight
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Peer-reviewed literature documenting chimpanzee behavior and space flight explicitly establishes that Ham was trained on a multiple-lever schedule used for his 1961 suborbital mission.
The development of chimpanzee behavior on a four-component, three-lever multiple schedule is described. Component schedules included the Sidman avoidance procedure with a concurrent discriminated avoidance schedule on a second lever, fixed ratio performance for food, differential reinforcement of low rate for water requiring a dual response chain, and a symbol discrimination task for continuous food reinforcement using three levers. The avoidance component of this schedule was employed during the January 31, 1961 suborbital space flight of the chimpanzee "Ham." On November 29, 1961, the chimpanzee "Enos" performed on the multiple schedule during three orbits around the earth in a Mercury capsule.
U S Readies Manned Rocket Test As Prelude to Later Orbital Flight By WILLIAM HINES Star Science Writer The astronaut who will be sent Into space from Cape Ca naveral in the next few days atop a Redstone rocket will reach altitudes and velocities never before attained by an American If his trip is successful it could pave the way for an orbit al mission in the last quarter of 1961 comparable to that of Russian cosmonaut YuH Ga garin If it failsespecially if the astronaut is injured or killedthe whole Mercury man inspace program probably will face searching reexamination by Congress and the admin istration For this flight the National Aeronautics and Space Admin istration is using the most re liable rocket in its space arsenal the Armydeveloped Redstone which boosted Americas first earth satellite into orbit in January 1958 The shot is officially desig nated MR3 meaning the third Mercury mission Involving a Redstone booster The two pre vious launchings last December 19 and January 21 were suc cessful although the rocket in the second shot overper formed carrying a chimpanzee named Ham farther and faster than had been planned Nothing Is Foolproof The animal was not hurt
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