On October 31, 2009, this day full of historical significance was deeply engraved in the glorious history of the scientific and technological progress of the Chinese nation, and became an indelible glorious mark.
On this day, Mr. Qian Xuesen, a great scientist and rocket expert whom we admire, passed away suddenly and left our world forever.
On the same day, heavy snow suddenly fell in the capital Beijing, and this snowflake, which is rare to see in thousands of years, seems to be silently mourning for the death of this scientific giant. That night, the stars in the sky were like endless lamps of remembrance, illuminating the solemn and solemn memorial meeting held for Professor Qian Xuesen.
Wearing the bright red flag of the Communist Party of China, Mr. Qian was lying peacefully in the coffin surrounded by flowers, like an angel in a deep sleep, which was moving.
When Qian Lao's body was escorted to the crematorium for cremation, the coffin was still covered with the bright party flag, and the honor guard of the three armed forces solemnly carried the coffin to see him off.
At the memorial service site, Mrs. Jiang Ying, who accompanied Qian Lao through 62 years of ups and downs, burst into tears, the virtuous helper who always stood firmly by his side in the most difficult moment of Qian Lao's life and silently supported him, finally couldn't control her emotions at this moment, she affectionately stroked her husband's face for the last time, and was so painful that she couldn't breathe.
Jiang Ying only felt that life had lost all meaning, and her closest confidant had left her forever. They formed an eternal friendship when they were young, and then they walked hand in hand for 62 years of marriage, but now they have to be separated forever, Jiang Ying's sadness in her heart can be imagined.
Seeing Jiang Ying's heart-rending mourning, everyone present was deeply moved. National leaders and the general public have bowed to Qian Lao and expressed their infinite respect for this scientific giant in the most sincere way.
Qian Lao worked hard all his life, selfless dedication, never cared about personal gains and losses, and his only pursuit was to apply scientific knowledge to the development and construction of the country. It is precisely this kind of broad and profound patriotic feelings that has won him the high respect of the people of the whole country.
Mr. Qian Xuesen was born on December 11, 1911 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, into a wealthy family. From an early age, he showed extraordinary talent and a great love for knowledge, and from an early age he was keen to read books of all genres, which laid a solid foundation for his future scientific research.
However, the god of fate did not particularly favor this intelligent and agile young man. When Qian Lao was three years old, his mother died tragically, and when he was eight years old, his father also left him.
At this point, he was brutally thrown into the abyss of loneliness.
This poor child suddenly lost the love of his parents, and watching his peers grow up happily under the careful care of his family, Qian Xuesen's heart was full of infinite yearning and envy.
However, he has been well versed in life since he was a child, and understands that sadness cannot be allowed to take over the whole of his heart. It was this difficult and difficult experience that shaped Qian Lao's unyielding character and inspired his endless thirst for knowledge.
Learning became the only salvation for him to break free from his tragic fate.
Since then, Qian Xuesen has been voracious in reading all kinds of books, and the family's original rich collection of books has quickly depleted. His academic performance soared like a rocket, and he soon made a name for himself in the whole school.
At that time, on the one hand, he had to work hard to earn living expenses, and on the other hand, he had to deal with heavy academic pressure, and the hardships of life can be imagined. Despite this, he never complained about the merciless arrangement of fate.
Fortunately, in Qian Lao's darkest moments, there was always a confidant like Jiang Ying by his side, giving him comfort and encouragement. They have been close playmates since childhood.
Jiang Ying was born in a scholarly family, she is kind and kind, always selflessly lends a helping hand, and brings strength to the lonely Qian Xuesen with a warm smile.
This period of hard work has sharpened Qian Xuesen's ability to be independent. In 1931, he stepped into the door of Shanghai Jiao Tong University with excellent results, and since then he has embarked on a journey of scientific exploration.
Alumni recalled that Qian Xuesen was like a learning fanatic at that time, burying himself in the laboratory all day long, devoting himself to the ocean of physics, as if he was integrated with knowledge.
He developed a strong interest in physics and made brilliant achievements in this field, laying a solid foundation for him to become a national pillar in the future.
At the end of the thirties, when the domestic turmoil was intensifying and the war was spreading, Qian Xuesen, as an intellectual, decided to cross the ocean to seek deeper academic development in order to avoid the fate of passively joining the army.
After careful consideration, he set his sights on the United States, known as the "temple of science", and in 1935 he successfully won the precious opportunity to study in the United States, and thus began his decade-long overseas study journey.
Mr. Qian Xuesen chose the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), located on the West Coast of the United States, a legendary institution that brings together elite students from all over the world, and its academic atmosphere is strong and the competition is fierce, which is breathtaking.
Although Qian Lao has achieved outstanding academic results, he gradually faded out of people's sight surrounded by many outstanding students.
However, this did not extinguish Qian Lao's enthusiasm for academics, and he devoted himself to the study of aerodynamics, laying a solid theoretical foundation for the future rocket and missile industry of the motherland.
Time flies, in the blink of an eye, Qian Lao won a doctorate degree for his outstanding academic achievements, and his dissertations have repeatedly been published in major well-known academic journals, and have won the appreciation of many top international scientists, and his reputation has risen.
However, at this time, China was in the midst of a storm and was struggling. Qian Lao knew that as a patriotic Chinese scientist, he should dedicate his wisdom and talents to the construction of the motherland.
Therefore, when the good news of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 spread throughout the country, he did not hesitate to embark on a journey back to China.
However, the road back home was not all smooth sailing. On the night when Mr. Qian packed his bags and was about to leave, the U.S. Immigration Bureau suddenly broke into his home and searched him, his visa and all his luggage were detained, and his plan to return to China came to naught in an instant.
It turned out that the United States was worried that the military secrets in Qian Lao's possession might pose a potential threat to its national defense and security, so it strictly examined and closely monitored his application for leaving the country.
In the months that followed, the hardships experienced by Qian Lao are self-evident. At one point, he was held in a cramped cell and suffered humiliation, and even had to burn the results of his years of hard work in exchange for the trust of the immigration authorities and permission to leave the country.
Mrs. Jiang Ying was worried about the safety of her husband, Academician Qian Xuesen, day and night, and she constantly reminded Academician Qian Xuesen to be cautious in life.
The couple's phone calls were even tapped and monitored, and their letters were closely monitored, which shows the vigilance of the immigration authorities.
It was not until 1955 that with the full efforts and indomitable negotiations of the Chinese government, Academician Qian Xuesen was allowed to leave the United States and rejoin the arms of his long-lost motherland.
In 1956, only one year after returning to China, Academician Qian Xuesen was awarded the post of director of the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shouldering the important task of national rocket and missile technology research and development.
As a top expert in this field, Academician Qian Xuesen personally established an extraordinary scientific research team and personally served as the project leader.
Thanks to the unremitting efforts of Academician Qian Xuesen and his team, China's missile industry has finally ushered in a spring of vigorous development. On October 16, 1964, China's first-ever atomic bomb test was a complete success! When the spectacular mushroom cloud slowly rose, countless scientific researchers at the scene were excited to tears, witnessing this epoch-making historic moment.
This great scientific and technological achievement marks China's official entry into the ranks of countries possessing nuclear weapons. The people of the whole country cheered and couldn't sleep all night. As the chief designer of this major project, Academician Qian Xuesen is deeply proud.
He finally realized his grand long-cherished wish of "two bombs and one satellite" with practical actions.
In the following years, Academician Qian Xuesen and the scientific research team made persistent efforts and repeatedly reached new highs. On April 24, 1970, the mainland's first artificial earth satellite "Dongfanghong 1" was successfully launched and flew around the earth for nearly a month.
This means that China has officially become the fifth country in the world to master independent satellite technology.
Subsequently, under the careful planning and auspices of Academician Qian Xuesen, China successfully launched the "Shijian-1" satellite on March 3, 1971. Although the satellite was in space for only 26 days before crashing into the atmosphere, we still learned valuable first-hand data on the space environment.
These data have laid a solid practical foundation for a series of major projects such as the mainland's independent development of communications satellites in the future.
Under the outstanding leadership of Mr. Qian Xuesen, China's aerospace industry has made one epoch-making major achievement after another like thunder. These powerful breakthroughs have given the continent its strength in this field to grow at an astonishing rate, and at the same time, the gap between us and the world's advanced level is rapidly narrowing!
As a warm commendation and high respect for this great scientist, he has been awarded many supreme honors such as the highest national science and technology award and the two bombs and one star meritorious service medal.