ON January 31, 1961 Nasa launched its first manned space flight from Cape Canaveral.
The brave "man" in question, however, was a four-year-old chimp called Ham who became the first animal to come back from space alive.
Last night's Natural World: Spacechimp told the story of the remarkable Ham and the handler who came to love him over two years of training. And although there were the inevitable "ahhh" moments showing man and animal bond, for me, this documentary was as disturbing as it was interesting.
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The NASA archive film footage showed screeching chimps enduring scientific tests and being trained to press levers in response to flashing lights to avoid electric shocks.
Seeing these animals confused and in pain, you wondered if it really was necessary and I certainly doubt whether they'd get away with such experiments' nowadays.
The nation might have made a hero out of Ham the chimp when he landed back on earth, making history and winning the hearts of schoolchildren everywhere, but what they didn't see was how he'd been locked in a confined space, prodded and poked and exposed to G-forces unlike anything he'd ever known before.
An enthralling glimpse into the archives, but maybe one to miss for animal-lovers.
It reawakens the whole debate of ends justifying scientific means.
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