FIELD OF VIEW

The very, very early Space Race

- Jonathan Powell

Humankind's passion for exploration - to forge that raging river or climb that lofty snow-capped mountain - has been at the heart of many an expedition.

Over time, those rivers were forged, those mountains climbed and new lands discovered. However, to many explorers the thought of venturing beyond Earth to see exactly what those points of light were in the night sky seemed a mere dream. But for a tenacious few, it was yet another challenge to engage with.

Long before Yuri Gagarin's epic voyage in 1961 on board Vostok 1, powered by a Vostok-K rocket, history recalls others who dared to dream. One such soul ready to conquer the heavens was 16th-century Chinese would-be astronaut Wan Hu, a public official with stars in his eyes.