HAM's Undergarment & Flight Jacket HAM's Undergarment An astrochimp named HAM (for Holloman Aerospace Medical Center) wore this undergarment on his Jan. 31, 1961 suborbital flight on Mercury-Redstone 2. Biomedical sensors recorded his pulse, respiration, breath-depth and temperature during the 16.5 minute flight, in which HAM was weightless for almost 7 minutes. The chimp returned from his flight in excellent health. HAM's Flight Jacket HAM the astrochimp wore this flight jacket in a news conference after his Jan. 31, 1961 suborbital test-flight aboard Mercury-Restone 2, and again when he met President John F. Kennedy. Holloman AFB's 6580th Field Maintenance Division's parachute and fabric shop made the chimp-size jacket with extra-long arms. Click here to return to the Missile Gallery.