The Space Race might have begun in the middle of the 20th century, but that doesn’t mean humans never thought about the moon – or how to get there. Unfortunately, scientists understood so little about the space outside the Earth, other planets, or even flying heavier-than-air airplanes that clouds were out of reach, let alone the moon.
As rocket scientist and astronautics pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky once said, “Earth is the cradle of mankind, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.” One Chinese thinker shared that sentiment in the 1500s, when he became the first human to attempt to use a rocket to launch into outer space – an astronaut of sorts. It might have been an unsuccessful attempt, but the attempt earned him a namesake on the moon forever.
Today, China has a notable space program of its own. The People’s Republic sent its first crewed spacecraft into orbit in 2003 and has since begun building its own series of orbital space stations. China might be a latecomer to the space game, but its eyes have apparently been turned upward for centuries.
According to legend, a man named Wan Hu was the first human to have the idea that a rocket might actually take someone all the way to the moon. In some sources, his name was Tao Chengdao and his imperial title was Wan Hu, as he lived and worked during China’s Ming Dynasty, a relatively stable and prosperous period for the country. Wan Hu was ready to fly himself to the moon, he apparently never said what he might do once he got off the Earth.
Before modern particle theory and astrophysics, the world’s best thinkers apparently had trouble believing what we call the vacuum of outer space could be filled with absolutely nothing. European minds believed that the area outside the Earth was filled with light-bearing aether, a formless substance that was the medium for carrying sunlight across the expanses of the solar system.
The Chinese didn’t believe in the vacuum of space, either. Before European influence, Chinese thinkers held on to the idea that the Earth was flat and square, and surrounded by a spherical heaven. Others believe the Earth was akin to a yolk in an egg. Either way, the universe was finite and Wan Hu believed that he was able to travel there, all he had to do was escape the Earth.
Chinese troops had been using gunpowder against Mongols and other invaders since the 9th century. They soon discovered the escaping gas could propel arrows and by 1232 were using them to shoot high-powered flaming arrows at their enemies. It’s not hard to imagine that the powerful capabilities of the rocket as a weapon to send objects flying fast over long distances inspired someone to try it as a means of transportation. After all, if a small rocket can launch a small object, then a larger object could be launched with a bigger rocket or many rockets – right?
The concept is understandable, even if the execution of the idea was questionable. Wan Hu allegedly gathered 47 rockets and 47 rocket assistants, fixed a chair and two kites to the rocket setup. He sat in the chair and ordered his assistants to light the rocket fuses. After the huge roar of the “engines” and what was probably a large cloud of smoke cleared, Wan Hu and his chair were gone.
Today, we all know what happened to Wan Hu, if the story is to be believed. He certainly ascended to the heavens, but not with the rockets, and definitely not in one piece. If the legend is true, said Space Race historian William Burrows, then Wan Hu is also the first person to ride a rocket, the first to fly on a self-propelled, heavier-than-air device, and the first rocket pilot to get killed during a test flight.
Whether the legend is true or not, NASA seemed to enjoy the idea of it. It would name a crater, the Wan Hoo Crater, after the world’s first aeronaut.