Today is space with you [Issue 1400]
The "star" shines because of dreams
——Remembering Wang Yongzhi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering
The moment the hatch opened, Wang Yongzhi seemed to have become the young man standing in front of the launcher looking up at the stars.
On December 26, 2021, Beijing time, Shenzhou 13 astronauts Ye Guangfu and Zhai Zhigang wore the mainland's new generation of "Feitian" extravehicular spacesuits and successfully exited the capsule from the Tianhe core module node module.
Wang Yongzhi watched this news over and over again.
That starry sky carries Wang Yongzhi's youth and dreams. In order to push open the door of Chinese to space, he paid years of sweat and hard work.
From the successful launch of the mainland's first self-designed missile to today's mainland entering the era of the space station, Wang Yongzhi, who served as the chief designer of the launch vehicle series and the first chief designer of China's manned space project, witnessed many important historical moments in the mainland's national defense science and technology and aerospace industry.
The young man in front of the launcher is now an elderly man. But his sincere heart of yearning for the stars and committing to serving the country has never changed.
"In the face of the enemy's aircraft and artillery, I thought at that time that the country must have a strong national defense, so that others dare not bully." After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, with the goal of "not being bullied," Wang Yongzhi was admitted to the Department of Aeronautics of Tsinghua University.
In 1957, Wang Yongzhi ushered in a major turning point in his life: this year, he changed his studies to rocket missile design at the Moscow Aviation Institute. Since then, Wang Yongzhi's fate has been closely linked to China's aerospace industry.
In response to the problem that the range of the mainland's first self-designed missile is not enough, Wang Yongzhi boldly proposed a solution: 600 kilograms of incendiary agent is released from the rocket, and the missile can reach the predetermined range.
Originally the rocket energy is not enough, but also to leak out? At the time, many people thought it was incredible. Wang Yongzhi plucked up the courage to find Qian Xuesen, the technical commander of the launch site, and talked about his ideas. After Qian Xuesen heard this, he immediately summoned the chief designer of the missile and instructed: "If this young man's opinion is correct, do as he says!" "Sure enough, after the implementation of this plan, the missile range increased, and 3 consecutive rounds entered the target area, and the test was successful."
This spirit of bold innovation has always run through Wang Yongzhi's scientific research work.
In 1986, Wang Yongzhi, then president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, and a group of scientists quietly brewed a major event that later shook the aerospace industry: on the basis of the "Long March II" rocket, four boosters were bundled to form a new type of large-thrust rocket - "Chang Er Bundle".
Wang Yongzhi said: "At that time, we wanted to develop a large-thrust bundle rocket based on the 'Long March 2' rocket to introduce China's carrier rockets to the international market. "At the end of 1988, the state approved the project, requiring the completion of the development task within 18 months. Wang Yongzhi made a "military order" on behalf of the research institute. In the eyes of some foreign counterparts, it is impossible to complete this task without 3 years. Wang Yongzhi and his colleagues gave the best answer with facts - on July 16, 1990, the first flight of the "Long Second Bundle" was successful.
In 1992, Wang Yongzhi, the year of Hua Jia, accepted another major challenge in his life - to serve as the chief designer of the mainland manned space project. He advocated a three-cabin approach consisting of an orbital module, a return module and a propulsion module.
In order to improve the safety factor of astronauts, Wang Yongzhi presided over the design of a manned space flight track that can meet a variety of requirements. In order to solve the problem of emergency search and rescue at sea for astronauts in the ascending stage of the rocket, he creatively proposed that the spacecraft fly to 3 predetermined landing areas at sea nearby to achieve a life-saving plan for sea selection.
"Sending Chinese into space is the ultimate goal in my heart, and even if I am nervous and tired, I have no regrets." Wang Yongzhi can't forget the scene when he gave Qian Xuesen, who was more than 90 years old, to celebrate his birthday. Elder Qian placed the gift sent by Wang Yongzhi on the bookshelf in a dignified manner, and often carefully examined it -- it was a model of a "Shenzhou" spaceship.
At 6:23 a.m. on October 16, 2003, Shenzhou 5, the first manned spacecraft on the mainland, returned to the ground, and Yang Liwei, who was traveling in space, walked out of the hatch and waved to everyone.
At that moment, the whole country rejoiced, and Wang Yongzhi was filled with tears of excitement.
On February 20, 2004, the annual National Science and Technology Awards Conference was held in the Great Hall of the People. After receiving the certificate of the country's highest science and technology award, 72-year-old Wang Yongzhi said emotionally: "The needs of the motherland are the direction of our progress, and only by closely linking our cause with the motherland and the people can we make great achievements." ”
When people look up at the starry sky, in the corner of the Milky Way, there is an asteroid called "Wang YongzhiXing". It was an asteroid named after Wang Yongzhi by the International Astronomical Union, permanently numbered 46669.
Dreams shine. In the vast space, the asteroid numbered 46669 is like a drop in the ocean. Like many astronauts, it operates silently in a corner of the universe. However, this asteroid shines because of the dream, illuminating the direction of the Chinese astronauts.