Today is space with you [No. 1359]
January 9, 2022
In the CCTV "Reader" program
Chief designer of China's manned spaceflight project
Zhou Jianping, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering
He told the story of his companionship in China's manned space project
A moving story of growing up
As the chief designer of China's manned space project
He wrote the flying dream on the vast expanse of the galaxy
1
Dongfang Red Satellite
Plant the seeds of your dreams
In 1970
China's first artificial satellite
"DongfangHong No.1" went straight up into the sky
At a frequency of 20.009 MHz
Play the song "Oriental Red" to the ground
Late afternoon
Zhou Jianping, 13, stood in front of his home
Squint your eyes as the satellite streaks across the sky
A faint reddish glow in the distant stars
Inspire him endless imagination and curiosity:
Why can satellites see it on the ground?
How do people send satellites into space?
It is this cascade of curiosity
It drove Zhou Jianping and the Chinese astronauts
Heading into the vastness of space
From undergraduate to doctoral
He studied mechanics in all his majors.
A basic discipline that supports manned spaceflight
The fate of the chief designer
It has always been closely linked to the country's space industry
Launched from Shenzhou-1
By Chinese it was the first time it went into space
From the independent research and development of "Feitian" cabin service
To the launch of the first Tianzhou cargo spacecraft...
A journey into space
Zhou Jianping and China's manned space project
We have walked together for nearly 30 years
"The universe is so big
Humans should go and see
Chinese Should have checked out"
02
Repeated arguments
Witness the birth of the "three steps"
In 1992
Zhou Jianping, 35, packed his bags and headed to Beijing
Become the youngest expert in the overall argument group
To find the one that best suits China
Programmes for manned spaceflight
Including the founder of "two bombs and one star"
Experts in various fields clashed fiercely
The argument continued from the severe winter until early summer
Eventually formed what people are familiar with
The "three-step" development strategy of China's manned space project
In this argument
What left the deepest impression on Zhou Jianping was
In front of me were several old experts with white sideburns
A picture of arguing for a detail
This greatly encouraged Zhou Jianping
"This reflects the scientific spirit of our astronauts."
So many years in aerospace
We are almost always asking questions
In a discussion about how to do things better."
03
Experience the "Zero War"
Never bring questions to heaven
In 2002
At the Shenzhou III launch base
A small plug triggers a "zero war"
After the spacecraft is assembled
The technician detected that there was a plug that was not turned on
However, backups can still be used
Although everything is ready
The test team made the final decision
Re-develop and replace all plugs
Postpone the launch of the spacecraft
"China's aerospace has two principles:
The first is to never bring the problem to heaven
The second is to never consume redundancy on the ground."
Although the problem is small, the hidden danger is large
Astronauts' rigorous pursuit of quality and safety
It is by such concrete action
Behind this is the Chinese astronauts
The pursuit of high quality, high reliability
A highly responsible attitude towards space safety
04
The route is clear
"Independent innovation, independence"
In 2006
Zhou Jianping took over the manned spaceflight project
"Chief Designer" when the flag is presented
It was at the time that the extravehicular spacesuit was introduced
It is still the stage of controversy in development
At this time, it was far away from the "Shenzhou VII" astronauts
The scheduled time for the first departure event
Less than 4 years remain
Zhou Jianping's thinking is very clear
"China Aerospace has always been adhering to it
We must innovate independently and be independent."
After repeated arguments and trade-offs
Zhou Jianping made a decision --
"In any case, we must use Chinese cabin suits
to complete the first departure from the cabin"
After countless arguments and overturns
Argue again, overturn again
The scientific research team and dozens of supporting units work together
The extravehicular spacesuit was delivered on schedule
The principles of biomimicry were used to design the structure of the extravehicular spacesuit
It has also become the first in the history of world spaceflight
Two years later
For the first time, Chinese astronauts wore self-developed extravehicular spacesuits
Raise the flag
Make a stunning appearance in the universe
......
From unmanned flight to manned flight
From one person a day to many days for many people
From in-cabin experiments to out-of-cabin walking
Fly from a single body to a combined stable operation
China's manned spaceflight project took nearly 30 years
Completed the development of developed countries for half a century
"We are in this universe
It was just a speck of dust flying in the morning sky
So, we think
The future of humanity depends
How much we know about this universe."
From listening to the melody of "Oriental Red" in space
To "teach in space" in the Chinese their own space station
Every step of China's space flight
Both reflect national development and technological progress
When we look up at the stars again
What comes to mind is no longer
"Golden Que Silver Luan and Purple House."
Qihua Yao grass and Qiongbao"
Rather, the picture is clearer
A more realistic and scientific cosmic landscape