The Statue of Wan Hu. (PHOTO: VCG)

By Staff Reporters

In the 1970s, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named a lunar crater after Ming Dynasty official Wan Hoo, (also known as Wan Hu), in recognition of his daring attempt at space travel. This historical figure may have led us to imagine that space exploration began far earlier than we believe.

Although the date of his exploration is uncertain (many accounts place him in the 16th century), the majority of sources agreed on his mode of flight. Wan Hu decided to take advantage of China's advanced power and fireworks technology to launch himself into outer space. He had a chair built with 47 "flame rockets" attached. On the day of launching, Wan Hu climbed into his rocket chair and held one massive kite-style parachute, to allow him to fly safely once successfully reaching the heavens. Despite the fact that this seems extremely perilous, Wan Hu would not be discouraged from his goal. Given that there was no aviation technology at the time, his design was remarkably innovative and reasonable. Today the experiment technique seems obvious to modern people, and his quest for sci-tech innovation lives on.

Nobody knows with certainty what happened to Wan Hu and whether or not he actually succeeded, but his tale, and rather risky attempt to launch himself into space, has motivated many to pursue what was once thought of as unattainable. As humanity progresses upwards and outwards into the cosmos, Wan Hu's desire of fulfilling his dream has been realized by numerous people many years later.

The legend of Wan Hu was widely disseminated in the book Rockets and Jets by American author Herbert S. Zim in 1945.