The command system for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics courtesy of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which received rave reviews, is not only a "welcome ceremony" for China as the host, but also the "first chapter" of the special project of the Winter Olympics of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (hereinafter referred to as the "Rocket Academy"). As the technical support unit for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the Rocket Institute has written the legendary story of human Winter Olympic history with unquestionable "rocket strength" through the successful implementation of eleven core key projects.
When "Aerospace Science and Technology" Meets "Artistic Presentation"
The use of scientific and technological means to present artistic imagination is the first time in the history of rocket academy. Zhang Wenwen, deputy director of the Special Office of the Winter Olympics of the Academy, said frankly: "If the continuous change of the director's team's creativity is the biggest challenge we face, then ensuring the artistic effect according to local conditions is the biggest innovation we have made." ”
At the beginning of the project, it was difficult to find an efficient communication platform between the aerospace team that was good at scientific and technological research and the director team who were good at artistic creativity. The former said, "Let's determine the specifications," but the latter said, "There needs to be a crystal clear feeling here." Cao Ling, the head of technical support of the Rocket Academy, almost found nothing after communicating with the director team for the first time.
"There needs to be a bridge between technology and art, and this bridge can only be built by us." Cao Ling and his colleagues realized that the goal of the space mission is the predetermined orbit in distant space, and the goal of the special mission of the Winter Olympics is the audience perspective of artistic effects - since there is no mission book, no core parameters, and the goal has changed, the method must be adapted to local conditions.
The special team of the Rocket Institute winter Olympics examined eleven core key projects from the perspective of the overall situation, first formed a technical plan to carry out the development of the first sample, communicated with the director team with the initial sample effect, and then iterated the plan according to the communication results. "Initially, a plan had to be iterated more than 20 times, and then our plan could inspire the director and produce unexpected artistic effects." Cao Ling said.
The five rings of the Olympic Games and the ice cube present the effect courtesy of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
At the opening ceremony, the five Olympic rings slowly rose, pushing the atmosphere of the scene to a climax. However, in the original design, the light hit the five rings, and how to present the effect of glittering colors became a major problem that plagued the director team and the special task team. However, the astronauts are good at solving problems from the source, proposing a "self-illuminating" scheme, designing the olympic rings as a giant display, so that the director can well present the effect that the director wants.
Presenting a beautiful artistic imagination with solid scientific and technological means is not an easy task. The director's ideological creativity continues to change, and the rocket academy people respond quickly and adjust in time; the special project spans dozens of professional fields, and the rocket academy people take the lead in tackling the key problems one by one; tens of thousands of foreign coordinators synchronously construct, and the rocket academy people are in the front to command and lead the battle in front... Whether it is the romance of the cosmic mountains and rivers or the expectations of the people of the motherland, it is the driving force for them to move forward courageously.
Ignite the "Spiritual Flame" of "Rice Seconds Is Not Bad"
Rocket launches pursue "meter seconds are not bad", the special project of the Winter Olympics is the heavy responsibility of the country, and the rocket institute people also take "meters and seconds are not bad" as the goal and ignite the "spiritual flame" that wins glory for the country.
On the evening of February 4, 2022, as the "March of the Volunteers" was played at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, the bright five-star red flag was raised. For more than a hundred seconds, Yang Weijie, the person in charge of the support of the flag-raising device, was full of sweat in his palms.
In addition to being consistent with the rules of the flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square, Yang Weijie also led the team to make a lot of anti-risk design for the flag-raising device for the opening ceremony. According to the accuracy requirements of rocket development, the time should be accurate to microseconds, and the height should be accurate to centimeters - only the reliability of more than 100 seconds, they calculated for more than two months and verified more than a thousand times.
Under the stage of more than 20,000 square meters, there is a welded "skeleton" of steel structure weighing about 5,000 tons and nearly 6 stories high. According to Zhao Jinbiao, the person in charge of ground stage support, if a steel structure stage of this scale is to be stable enough, it needs a set of beams that are "supported" on the side like arms, "but the bird's nest building structure is special, and it is not allowed to build beams."
Ground stage structure renderings Courtesy of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
"We'll take root underground." Zhao Xiang, the person in charge of stage construction, led the team to plan the construction progress, measure the elevation square meter by square meter, and test the stability of the screen by screen. In the hot summer, under the scorching sun, the surface temperature of the steel structure reached fifty or sixty degrees Celsius, and they welded for several hours, and the arms were burned out of the blisters, and they did not realize it, which controlled the accuracy error of the world's largest stage in the millimeter level.
At the opening ceremony, the crystal clear ice cube slowly rises, and the dreamlike luster is breathtakingly beautiful. Xiao Liang, the person in charge of the ice cube lifting device, did not revel in this romance, but maintained his usual composure, penetrated the inside of the device with a calm gaze, and carefully considered its running trajectory...
In order to achieve the effect of the iceberg, Xiao Liang led the team to iteratively design for several months. After the results of the first round of physical tests came out, even the outsourcing personnel who personally participated in the construction could not believe their eyes - the motor with an hourly power consumption of 315 kilowatts dragged a 400-ton ice cube for a 10-meter journey, and the actual transmission efficiency was only 0.01 different from the theoretical calculation value!
When the 143-square-meter, 3.2-ton 5th ring and 350mm thick Olympic rings shone above the "Bird's Nest" of the National Stadium, the enthusiasm of the audience was ignited. "The area of the five rings is huge, the structure is ultra-thin, and the slightest deviation of the hanging point will bend and deform, and even a slight collision will cause damage to the surface lamp beads." Zhao Jinbiao stressed.
The problems are like a wall in front of the team, but everyone firmly believes that the wall is a bridge. They have precision redundancy measures to the minimum granularity, any lamp bead is extinguished and there is a backup to achieve zero-second switching; the entire five rings are a little missed, and the backup five rings hidden underground can rise on time. Now that the mission is complete, Zhao Jinbiao wants to pat the backup five rings that have been prepared for the battle but have not appeared and say a word - "Our mission is completed, and the front and back of the stage are as glorious as the scenes." ”
Building a "Great Wall of Safety" in a Steel Forest
In the middle of summer, supervise the hoisting in the sweltering base compartment; in the cold winter, inspect the line against the whistling north wind; in the rain, practice the whole system of LED stage; in the snow, detect and maintain the command and control system... As rigorous as the design demonstration process, there is also the safety and security task of the special project of the Winter Olympics.
In the early morning, when the first rays of sunlight sprinkled into the "bird's nest", the rocket academy people wearing aerospace blue overalls began to get busy, only to see the booms of more than 30 cranes flying up and down, and the mechanical sound was deafening... Under the leadership of Ma Guoxiang, who has more than 30 years of work experience, the safety and security personnel implemented a 24-hour "three shifts" to ensure that the progress of the project and safety measures go hand in hand.
Steel lifting dozens of tons at a time, is there a safety rope tied? The foundation pit is more than 10 meters high, is there a warning belt? The electrical line voltage is high, have you considered scientific protection? These details, which are easy to be overlooked in the busy, are the red line that cannot be touched in the hearts of security personnel - the large hole with the tip of the needle can penetrate the big wind, and even the smallest process flaws and operational loopholes may raise the risk of fattening the "gray rhinoceros".
Once a day inspection, once a week inventory; rectification results pull the strip to hang up, check feedback to zero that week. "If the mission is not over, we will not relax for a day." Ma Guoxiang and his colleagues have always maintained a clear head, and used the strictest measures to face the most stringent assessment - in the annual safety inspection of the "Bird's Nest", the solid anti-high-altitude fall plan of the special project has been praised by all parties: "Astronauts, it is different!" ”
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is intertwined with the epidemic of the century, and whether it can hold a simple, safe and wonderful global sports event reflects a country's scientific and technological level and organizational, implementation and management capabilities. Facts have proved that the special team of the Rocket Academy for the Winter Olympics has grasped and coordinated the technical support of more than 70,000 people for more than 10 months, which has been transformed into the strength of human civilization and national culture, and engraved the Olympic spirit into the immortal years.
(Guangming Daily all-media reporter Zhang Lei correspondent Zhang Juanjuan)
Source: Guangming Daily all-media reporter Zhang Lei correspondent Zhang Juanjuan
Editor-in-charge: Zhang Yongqun
Editor: Sun Xiaoting Xing Yanyan