Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

From the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's web page, "Mercury Primate Capsule and Ham the Astrochimp", 2015-11-10, about the first hominid (but not the first primate) to go to space (1961-01-31 -- sixty years ago today):

During the flight, Ham's reaction to weightlessness and acceleration was tested by his performing the lever-pulling tasks he had trained for. According to A Brief History of Animals in Space published by the NASA History Office, the flight did not go completely as planned:

The original flight plan called for an altitude of 115 miles and speeds ranging up to 4,400 mph. However, due to technical problems, the spacecraft carrying Ham reached an altitude of 157 miles and a speed of 5,857 mph and landed 422 miles downrange rather than the anticipated 290 miles... He experienced a total of 6.6 minutes of weightlessness during a 16.5-minute flight.

In addition, there was a partial loss of air pressure while in space, but disaster was averted because of the pressurized capsule encasing Ham. After splashdown, water flooded the capsule and if the rescue helicopter had not arrived when it did, Ham might have drowned.

Despite these difficulties, Ham seemed calm and in good spirits upon his return. He shook hands with the commander of the recovery ship and others, and readily accepted an apple. He did become agitated later when faced with the paparazzi, however, according to the post-flight report [...]