We all know that dogs in space are pretty cool.

But they were not the only animals to get launched into orbit. Besides some boring creatures like fruit flies, monkeys also had the pleasure of exploring outer space.
Mostly under the effects of anaestethics but who cares. Getting high on a space ship does not sound too bad.

Baker. Astrochimp and martyr of science. He left his life to prepare for the glories of others. Very noble.

The most famous of all astrochimps is Ham.

How come?

He was the first one to actually survive a rocket flight, as there were many causes for the untimely deaths of his fellow astronaut monkeys.

Rocket explosions and parachutes failures are the most spectacular ones. But many astrochimps fell victim to the scorching sun of the Nevada desert. Trapped into metal containers, the heat turned them into an ape equivalent of a hot dog. Their wait for the other hominids who had catapulted them into the sky turned out to be in vain.

Astrochimps always wore these cool white suits.

This guy looks like he already had his dose of anaesthetica. And as if stole one from a fellow astrochimp on top of that.

This monkey apparently is smoking some kind of futuristic Shisha.

Although being astronauts and heroes of science, astrochimps never forgot about the simple pleasures in life.

All astrochimps were carefully trained and selected before getting sent to space. How they came to the honours of becoming an astronaut often had a dramatic touch.

Ham, the most famous of all astrochimps was actually born in Cameroon. There he got captured by animal trappers and sold to the United States.

A strange life for a creature: Your live peacefully in your forest, get abducted, sold to a farm on the other side of the sea, then reacquired and finally shot into space in a metal capsule. Afterwards you spent the rest of your life in a zoo eating coconuts.
You will never understand what all of that was about but some other hairless creatures make a big fuzz about it. Whatever.

Ham, back from the orbit. The meaning of the cultural practice of the handshake is probably completly alien to him. Even if it weren't: His eyes tell us that the drugs did not wear off yet and he would have trouble comprehending what was going on anyway.

This monkey looks more serious about science and space travel then all the humans around him. Also note the gel drenched 50's hairstyles of the guys.

An astrochimp wearing diapers is getting his health check.

I think we can learn one important lesson from the astrochimps:

Not everything in life can be controlled.
Sometimes you just get drugged and put into a space ship. You better hope it won't explode.