The "post-80s" crew shines brightly! China's aerospace industry is full of vitality
■China Military Network reporter Zhang Xiaojun
How long is the "flying dream" of the Chinese?
From the beautiful myth of "Chang'e Running to the Moon" to the "Flying Sky" mural of Dunhuang Grottoes to the eternal feat of "Ten Thousand Families Flying to the Sky", in the Chinese's dream of flying to the sky, there is always infinite romance and passion for exploration.
A dream of more than a thousand years, Chinese astronauts have worked hard to make flying no longer an imagination, so that the sea of stars is no longer ethereal, and the stars and the moon have become a reality.
The night on the Gobi Desert in late spring is still a little cool. After 32 years of spring and autumn, China's manned space program once again ushered in the launch of manned spacecraft.
At 20:59 on April 25, with the commander's order, the Long March-2F Yao-18 carrier rocket took off, like a giant dragon holding the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft straight into the sky, starting a space journey lasting about six months.
Shenzhou went to nine days, and the heavenly palace waited for you to come. This is another Chinese height written by Chinese astronauts in the new era on the road to chasing their dreams.
On April 25, the Long March-2F Yao-18 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft was ignited and launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Xinhua News Agency
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At 7 kilometers from the manned space launch site of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, more than 700 former astronauts are buried here. The place where they are buried has a common name - the Dongfeng Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
There was an old man who was in his sixtieth year, and he once said to his daughter, "Go ahead, and catch up with or surpass our opponents." With this belief, he personally witnessed the launch of the first domestically produced missile and the first artificial satellite in the depths of the Gobi Desert, witnessing the starting point of China's aerospace industry.
On May 14, 1992, Marshal Nie Rongzhen passed away, and in accordance with his last wishes, part of his ashes were placed in the Dongfeng Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery.
Nie Li, the daughter of Marshal Nie Rongzhen, said: "There, he can see the high launch stand, and there, he can be the first to hear the roar of rockets and the first to see satellites and spacecraft take off. ”
On both sides of Nie Shuai's tombstone, there are many pioneers. Some of them are veterans of the Red Army, some are anti-Japanese warriors, and some are heroes of the War of Liberation and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In the era of peace, they silently dedicated, worked hard in the desert Gobi, and did their best.
From marshals and generals to ordinary soldiers, from famous to unknown heroes, a generation has passed away, and a generation has come again, with the loudest, most tragic and heroic oath of Dongfeng astronauts of "dying in the Gobi Desert and being buried in the green mountains", they have written the most magnificent and vast life on the big stage of the aerospace industry.
The towering "Dongfeng Revolutionary Martyrs Monument" points to the sky. Image Credit: Our Space
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Jiuquan, this is a land of heroic legends. Since more than 2,000 years ago, the Han boy opened up the Hexi Corridor, and there is no shortage of heroic stories in this land.
On the aerospace front, there are heroes in every position, every hero has a story, and every story is moving.
On April 18, 1998, when the Shenzhou-1 spacecraft was preparing for war, Pan Renjin, the person in charge of the electromagnetic compatibility work at the manned space launch site, was tired and collapsed at work. Originally, she could stay in the big city, but in order to support her husband's work, she resolutely followed her husband to the desert and plunged headlong into the front line of scientific research and experiments. Whether it's hot summer or cold winter, she sticks to the scene. Late that night, when she was dying, she said to her husband: "Don't forget to tell the spaceship when you go to the sky."
In July 1998, Xie Xiuyu, a 55-year-old senior engineer, completed his last project from his hospital bed. After lung cancer surgery, she called her colleague to the bedside and explained: "The materials are all in this bag, you can use them." Colleagues finished her final work, and Xie Xiuyu's black-framed name was solemnly signed at the front.
Know where you have been, and think about what you will go.
On September 15, 2016, the Tiangong-2 mission entered the minus 8-hour program, and there was a leak in the pipeline of the oxidant filling warehouse. If the fault cannot be located as soon as possible and dealt with in time, it is very likely to affect the normal procedure of the Tiangong-2 mission.
In the face of sudden danger, Xu Xingshun, the leader of the fuel filling squad of the launch test station, led 6 operators to rush in, and in 23 minutes, the fault was identified, the spare parts were replaced, and the danger was successfully eliminated. Faced with the test of life and death, 7 warriors wrote what inheritance is with practical actions.
During the development of the engine, chief designer Liu Zhanguo was admitted to the ICU ward three times, received critical illness notices twice, and continued to devote himself to the front line of research and development after his condition improved.
On the desolate Gobi Desert, there is a railway leading to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and the Gobi on both sides of the line, poplar cannot grow, and only a wild plant called camel thorn can survive, and generations of astronauts are like camel thorns rooted in the Gobi, and it is the thousands of "not dazzling" who hold up the bright future of China's aerospace industry.
The sky is boundless, and the stars are shining. The majestic launch tower stands majestically, as if telling the solemn oath written by every Chinese astronaut with no regrets to promote the continuous development of the motherland's aerospace industry.
On April 24, Young Pioneers from Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Sichuan and other places saluted under the Dongfanghong Satellite Launch Tower at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Xinhua News Agency
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Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's aerospace industry has been self-confident in its path, taking scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement as the strategic support for the development of the aerospace industry, and achieving intensive breakthroughs in key core technology fields.
On June 11, 2013, Shenzhou 10 astronauts Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping were ready to go. At 7:38, Shenzhou 10 soared into the sky. Fifteen days later, the spacecraft returned safely. For these 15 days, Zhang Xiaoguang has been preparing for 15 years. The first words of the mainland's first astronauts after leaving the capsule were: "We are people who chase dreams and realize dreams." ”
At 20 o'clock on June 25, 2016, the mainland's new generation of medium-sized carrier rocket Long March 7 took off, and China's Wenchang Cosmodrome also unveiled the mystery to the world. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival that year, Tiangong-2 was successfully launched. A month later, Shenzhou 11 was accurately put into orbit. On October 19, Shenzhou Tiangong rendezvous and docking.
On April 20, 2017, the mainland's first cargo spacecraft took off, two days later it launched Tiangong-2, and a week later successfully carried out the first "space refueling", making the mainland the third country in the world to master the technology of in-orbit propellant refueling.
During the Shenzhou 11 mission, the mainland artificially cultivated vegetables in space for the first time. Astronaut Jing Haipeng wrote in his diary: "At that time, Brother Chen Dong and I were very happy and told the ground staff the good news as soon as possible. We took a lot of photos and took a photo with the lettuce sprouts. Six years later, in 2022, Chinese astronauts spent the Mid-Autumn Festival in space for the first time and ate fresh lettuce cultivated by themselves. Astronaut Cai Xuzhe commented: "The taste is very good!"
On November 30, 2022, the six astronauts of the Shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou 15 crews gave a thumbs up and shouted in unison that "China's space station is always worth looking forward to", and Chinese astronauts achieved "space rendezvous" for the first time in Chinese's own space station.
On the eve of the launch of Shenzhou 18, Ye Guangfu, the commander of the crew, said affectionately when he met with the public at Wentian Pavilion: "We have caught up with a good era and the rapid development of manned spaceflight. ”
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Looking back on the past, China's aerospace has brought us too many surprises and touches.
The Silk Road is long, and camel bells are ringing. The sun sets over the long river, and the desert is lonely.
The Shenzhou travels, and the Jade Rabbit walks. Mozi sent a message, and Tianwen echoed.
From "Zhurong" to "Xihe", from "Tianhe" to travel to the stars to "Wentian" to build a "home" in space, China's aerospace stride is inseparable from the dream-chasing figures who work day and night to devote themselves to the cause of scientific research and innovation.
On February 26, 2024, the Blue Book of China's Aerospace Science and Technology Activities (2023) was released. The first flight of the new rocket, sampling on the back of the moon, and the normalized operation of the space station, China's aerospace will implement a series of major engineering tasks. When the dream becomes reality, it will illuminate the pace of China's aerospace industry, and will also reflect the original intention of China's aerospace people to strive to climb.
On April 24, 2024, the Shenzhou-18 manned mission held a press conference, confirming that the astronaut crew of the Shenzhou-18 manned mission is composed of three astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, all three of whom are "post-80s". After joining the team, they will work with active astronauts to carry out follow-up missions on the space station and realize the landing of Chinese on the moon.
On April 24, astronauts Ye Guangfu (middle), Li Cong (right) and Li Guangsu of the Shenzhou-18 manned mission met with media reporters at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Xinhua News Agency
600 kilometers away from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, here is the hometown of "Feitian", the moving myth of Feitian has passed through thousands of years, leaving us the immortal cultural imprint of our nation and the reverie of "Feitian".
Cherish your home and country, and have a galaxy in your eyes. On the journey to become a space power, there are unprecedented opportunities and challenges, and the development of China's aerospace industry has entered a critical period that requires rolling stones up the mountain and climbing over hurdles. "The long wind is strong, and the new journey is magnificent." Chinese astronauts inherit the spirit of "two bombs and one satellite", uphold the spirit of manned spaceflight, and strive to build a more brilliant new chapter in China's aerospace!
Source: People's Liberation Army Daily Weibo