He is the founder of China's aerospace industry
The father of "two bombs and one star".
The Americans once said that he was worth five divisions
It is better to shoot him than to return home
He wrote a letter asking for help on a cigarette paper
Sent back to China
Five years to return to the country, ten years to achieve two bombs
He firmly believes that "what foreigners can do, Chinese can also do it"
He is Qian Xuesen, the "father of China's aerospace" and "people's scientist".
Today, on the occasion of the 9th China Aerospace Day, let's review some stories related to Qian Lao......
China Aerospace
In the southern suburbs of Beijing, Fengtai Nanyuan, is home to China's largest missile weapons and launch vehicle development, testing and production base, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (hereinafter referred to as the Rocket Institute). It was here that Qian Xuesen, as the first dean, organized thousands of astronauts to successfully carry out the imitation of the mainland's first missile, the 1059. It was also here that Qian Xuesen led the astronauts from success to maturity, created a series of glories in China's aerospace history, and helped the mainland successfully become one of the major aerospace powers. Still here, President Qian Xuesen has repeatedly encouraged astronauts to believe in themselves, be self-reliant, innovate and change, and leave a spiritual spark of national self-confidence.
China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (Photo source: Archives of the Academy of Rockets)
Qian Xuesen
What foreigners can do, can't Chinese do?
On December 17, 1960, more than a month after the successful launch of the imitation 1059 missile, Qian Xuesen wrote a letter to Lin Shuang, vice president of the Rocket Institute, expressing his opinions on the issue of heat protection of missile warheads that he continued to pay attention to. At that time, when a big country had just been built, everything was waiting to be done, missile development had just started, and many key equipment were missing, so there were only two solutions: either use foreign exchange to purchase foreign products, or make efforts to study and break through difficult problems on your own. Between the two, Qian Xuesen is not superstitious about foreign products, but puts forward his views very clearly.
In the letter, Qian Xuesen wrote: "...... In short, the Americans' methods are too stupid to necessarily do what they do!" In light of his actual experience, Qian Xuesen encouraged China's young aerospace science and technology personnel to blaze a trail and find their own way to study and manufacture their own heat-proof structures for warheads.
A letter from Qian Xuesen to Lin Shuang (Image source: Rocket Academy Archives)
Although China has a weak foundation and a poor foundation in missile development, in the face of difficulties, the Chinese have the spirit of unremitting self-improvement and the spirit of climbing without admitting defeat or fearing difficulties. With Qian Xuesen's encouragement, the scientific research personnel of the Rocket Institute started with the existing data, combined with the performance of the warhead products, and finally overcame the technical difficulties and developed products suitable for the national conditions after arduous research.
Not superstitious about the United States and not copying the so-called advanced science and technology, Qian Xuesen advocated that astronauts embark on a space road with Chinese characteristics.
Qian Xuesen's national self-confidence has been shown as early as the beginning of his return to China. On November 25, 1955, Qian Xuesen, a scientist who was on an expedition in Northeast China, came to Harbin Military Engineering Institute, where he met General Chen Geng, the dean wearing a military uniform. Chen Geng asked Qian Xuesen: Can we build our own rockets and missiles in China? Qian Xuesen replied very simply: "What foreigners can do, can't Chinese do? Chinese are a cut shorter than them?" Chen Geng was very surprised when he heard this, and then he was very excited, and he held Qian Xuesen's hand and said: "Great, I want you to say this!"
With the self-confidence in his heart, Qian Xuesen devoted himself to the construction of the aerospace industry, and together with many aerospace founders, he established research institutions, deployed scientific research personnel, carried out education and training, and implemented systematic engineering management, creating successes again and again in the history of China's aerospace industry.
Qian Xuesen is speaking
You can't be shackled by imitation
In the early 60s of the 20th century, Qian Xuesen worked for a period of time in the second workshop of Beijing Nanyuan 211 Factory, where he guided everyone to be self-confident and self-reliant, brave to open up, brave to innovate, and left a touching story.
It was at the end of 1963 and the beginning of 1964 that Qian Xuesen would come to the 211 factory in Nanyuan, Beijing once a week, enter the second workshop, and squat here.
When the simple workers and masters of the second workshop heard the news that Qian Xuesen was going to come to the workshop to work together, they couldn't help but be overjoyed, and looked forward to the arrival of the old dean with reverence. When they saw Qian Xuesen, who was of medium stature, wearing a gray-blue tunic coat, walking steadily and smiling, everyone applauded......
In the face of the enthusiastic workers, Qian Xuesen signaled everyone to be quiet and said calmly: "I am here to study and work and exercise." "Humility and courtesy, a word that makes everyone feel very cordial.
After a simple greeting, Qian Xuesen came directly to the workshop section, talked to the master and the old workers, and proposed to work in the section. He found Master Yue Yunzhen and offered to worship him as a teacher and learn his craft from him. This Master Yue was the highest level of old fitters in the country at that time, with exquisite craftsmanship and unique ingenuity. Seeing that Qian Xuesen was very humble and wanted to worship him as a teacher, he was very happy and decided to teach his skills.
Working with Qian Xuesen, Master Yue patiently explained, gave detailed instructions, and always reminded Qian Xuesen to pay attention to some details in the process of parts processing......
Qian Xuesen's demeanor was focused, and he picked up the parts to do it seriously, in the words of the worker's master, "I really work with a knife and a real gun, without a little showmanship". After working for a few hours, someone beckoned Qian Xuesen to take a break, but Qian Xuesen didn't stop, until he saw that everyone was taking a break, he put down his work and sat down with everyone to chat.
During the chat, Qian Xuesen expressed full respect to the workers and masters, and said: "A product, with good design drawings and process specifications, also depends on the actual operation of the workers and masters to complete, and skilled skills are very important." He encouraged young people to learn more, keep climbing their skills, and eventually become a master of skills like Master Yue.
In his spare time, Qian Xuesen teaches game theory to everyone, and guides everyone to open their minds and learn to create and innovate.
What is a game? Many workers and masters shook their heads one after another, saying that they did not understand. Qian Xuesen smiled slightly: "Everyone has played or watched Go, right? Well, isn't this a game!"
Oh, I see!, the workers nodded yes.
Subsequently, Qian Xuesen told everyone in simple language that there are games everywhere in work and life...... The two sides of the game, such as layout, sub-play, and eating, are ever-changing, not immutable, which requires a flexible mind to adapt to changes. The topic went from life to work, to missile development and production. Qian Xuesen held that the same is true of the design, process, and technical operation of missile development and production, and it is necessary to constantly change and innovate in light of specific conditions.
This kind of simple and straightforward words makes everyone listen very carefully, so that everyone is clearly convinced. In order to facilitate everyone to master these knowledge, Qian Xuesen systematically compiled teaching materials and distributed mimeographed handouts to the masters in the workshop, encouraging everyone to not only be able to imitate in their work, but more importantly, to be self-confident and self-reliant, to get out of imitation thinking, and to learn to innovate.
At that time, the mainland was already in the stage of moving out of imitation and moving toward independent missile development, and the production and final assembly of missiles at the 211 Plant still used the design and technology of the missile imitation period, which was completely copied from the Soviet model, and some of the processes, operations, and technical requirements of the imitation period no longer conformed to the actual situation, and even became an irrational measure. However, at that time, these process regulations did not allow for the slightest distortion and change.
Strict implementation of technological procedures is an important condition for ensuring the smooth development of missile imitation. But as the so-called times change, Qian Xuesen encouraged everyone to be confident, to study, to dare to make changes in combination with reality, and to dare to think and dare to do. He said: "In the imitation period, we must learn from imitation and use it in imitation, but we must not be bound by imitation. In the transition from imitation to self-control, in imitation and imitation, there must be change and innovation. ”
In the past, no one thought to change the process from the Soviet Union, and no one even dared to think about this problem, but this time Qian Xuesen's arrival and seemingly casual chats and lectures made the workers and masters who originally did not dare to touch the Soviet missile imitation process have their hearts touched for the first time.
Qian Xuesen encouraged everyone to base the development and production of missiles on the basis of self-reliance, believe in themselves, dare to innovate, and formulate the most scientific process specifications in accordance with practice. And this kind of innovation should start with the promotion of rationalization proposals.
Qian Xuesen believes that cutting-edge science is not unattainable for Chinese astronauts, and as long as they master the laws of scientific development, as long as they are willing to work hard and try, and are not afraid of failure, China's aerospace industry will be able to succeed.
Under the encouragement of Qian Xuesen, the climax of making suggestions and promoting change appeared in the second workshop, appeared in the 211 factory, and even swept the entire rocket yard. The second workshop alone put forward dozens of rationalization suggestions in a very short period of time. According to the archives, from March to October 1963, the 211 factory put forward a total of 258 innovation suggestions around the production tasks, of which 182 were directly aimed at product processing, accounting for about 70%, 40 were proposed for the processing of tooling and equipment required for products, accounting for about 15.6%, and 36 other projects, accounting for 14.4%.
In the 60s of the 20th century, workers in the scheduling group of the second workshop of the 211 factory (picture source: Rocket Institute Archives)
The proposal and implementation of hundreds of rationalization suggestions have greatly improved the work efficiency and quality of the workers and masters, and the workers and masters have greatly increased their confidence, their eyes are more courageous, and their steps are more firm.
People's scientist Qian Xuesen
Once, Qian Xuesen said earnestly to astronauts: "Science is regular, and creating new careers is not so mysterious...... Cutting-edge technology is established on the basis of general technology, and the so-called cutting-edge is high requirements, meticulous, and not bad at all. ”
Believe in yourself, face the cutting-edge cause of aerospace with full confidence, dare to climb the highland of science and technology, and dare to practice.
Believe in yourself, respect the laws of science with enough seriousness and meticulousness, work the foundation, explore more than once, and continue to innovate.
Long March series launch vehicle type spectrum (Image source: Archives of the Rocket Institute)
Not superstitious about any space power, not afraid of any thorns and obstacles, with this kind of national self-confidence, Qian Xuesen and thousands of astronauts have embarked on a road with Chinese characteristics and achieved brilliance that has attracted the attention of the world.
Source: Beijing Institute of Astronautics