Space History Photo: Ham Tries Out His Life Support System

In preparation for his 1961 Mercury Redstone-2 flight, Ham checks out his life support system and couch. (Image credit: NASA.)

In this historical photo from the U.S. space agency, Ham tries out his combination couch and life support system in preparation for his flight in Mercury Redstone-2 (MR-2). The couch is plugged into the circuit that normally would supply the astronaut's full pressure suit.

The MR-2 flight was one in a series of flights that led to the manned orbital flights of NASA's Project Mercury program.

Each weekday, SPACE.com looks back at the history of spaceflight through photos (archive).

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