A legendary pioneer of the space race is getting a permanent home in North Carolina history.
The state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced that a new highway historical marker honoring Ham the Astrochimp will be unveiled on July 14th. The sign will stand at the roundabout near the entrance to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro.
In January 1961, Ham became the first chimpanzee launched into space, proving a living creature could survive the extreme g-forces and weightlessness of suborbital flight.
After his historic NASA mission and a long stint in Washington, Ham spent his final retirement years living among a primate troop at the North Carolina Zoo until his death in 1983.
