Alex McColgan

Even during his interviews, he always stayed in character

with his standard-issue helmet and flowing cape, but he'd throw in subtle jibes at the world powers, calling them imperialist neocolonialists who were scared of Zambia's space knowledge.

Remember the Christian missionary he wanted to send to Mars with the girl and the cats?

He had explicitly warned the missionary he must not force Christianity on the people of Mars if they do not want it, a luxury many colonizing nations did not afford their conquered lands.

perhaps unsurprisingly, when Colosso's project never received public or political support.

He had written to UNESCO, asking for a £7 million grant to make his mission a reality, a drop in the bucket compared to NASA's $25.4 billion Apollo funding.

It's also been reported he asked for $1.9 billion from private foreign sources, but the Ministry of Power, Transport and Communication was quick to clarify this request was not made on behalf of the government.

In the end, the only funding he got was 10 rupees from a young Indian boy.

Most Zambians did not resonate with the space program, and didn't feel it accurately represented the feelings of the nation.

In fact, his own Afronauts deserted him.

Two recruits reportedly went out drinking one night, and were never seen again.

Another left to join a travelling song and dance group, and Marta ended up having a child of her own, and staying home instead of going to Mars.

In hindsight, we can only speculate what Un Coloso's true intentions might have been.

Maybe it was a ruse to make international headlines and get the name of a newly independent country out there.

Given Uncoloso's history as a revolutionary, it wouldn't be out of character for him to want to replace the name Northern Rhodesia with Zambia on the world stage.

And while he had everyone's attention, he might have thrown in some satire aimed at the superpowers just for fun.

Or he might have hoped, against all odds, that their hard work and determination would impress the right people and actually get Zambians into space.

Or perhaps he was simply trying to make some kids feel like they were part of something big and important.

What we do know is that he never let setbacks squander his determination and belief in his vision.

Thanks to him, even for a brief moment, Zambia entered the space race against the US and Soviets.