Zhang Rongqiao will never forget that morning a year ago.
In the early morning of May 15, 2021, in the orbit of Mars 320 million kilometers away from the earth, the Tianwen-1 landing rover separated from the orbiter and entered the atmosphere of Mars according to the predetermined trajectory. The landing patrol deployed its trim wings, ejected its parachute, separated the heat-proof outsole and back cover, and the landing platform extended its landing legs. After a series of actions, it hovered at an altitude of 100 meters above the surface of Mars, looking for the most suitable landing spot. point, and finally landed slowly. After crossing the "black nine minutes", the landing platform landed firmly in the pre-selected landing area in the southern part of Mars' Utopia Plain at 7:18. China's first Mars exploration mission successfully landed on Mars. The moment
successfully landed, someone accidentally photographed Zhang Rongqiao crying, and the related short video hit the screen that day. He later recalled this moment, leaving only 12 words: "I couldn't help myself, and shed tears, both sweet and salty."
China's first Mars exploration mission was a complete success and caused huge repercussions internationally. Zhang Rongqiao, the chief designer of the project, was recently awarded "2021-2022 Influence the World Chinese Award ".
One year later, Zhang Rongqiao still couldn’t hide his excitement when he recalled the time. After 4 years of demonstration and 6 years of development and production, the engineering team persisted at the launch site for more than 110 days, focusing on the 202 days of flight after launch, and stayed day and night for 93 days after the detector entered the ring-fire orbit, in order to achieve it as scheduled. The goal set at the beginning of the project was to land our Chinese robots on Mars before the first hundred years. "We are of course very excited that this promise has been fulfilled as scheduled. We have lived up to the expectations of our motherland."
"Ten years of hard work"
Entering the aerospace field began by chance.
Zhang Rongqiao was born in Qimen County, Anhui Province. When he applied for the college entrance examination, his teacher gave him two words of advice: "bias" - look for colleges in remote areas, and "cold" - choose unpopular majors, so that the probability of admission is higher. big. Therefore, he chose the electromagnetic field and microwave technology major of Northwest Telecommunications Engineering College (now Xi'an University of Electronic Science and Technology of China).
After graduating from his undergraduate degree in 1988, Zhang Rongqiao entered China Academy of Space Technology to continue his studies, still choosing his old major - space electromagnetic fields. After graduation, he worked at the China Academy of Space Technology for 13 years, mainly engaged in satellite measurement and control and remote sensing information processing. Later he joined the lunar exploration engineering team and served as the deputy chief designer of the lunar exploration engineering.
In 2010, as China proposed the idea of Mars exploration, Zhang Rongqiao began to engage in the planning, demonstration and project establishment of the project according to the organizational arrangements, which was also a "ten-year sharpening of the sword."
But at the beginning of his work, he felt that there were only two words for this job: difficult and important.
is difficult and success is difficult. ——Mars was once called the "graveyard of spacecrafts" by the aerospace industry. Currently, of the 47 international Mars exploration missions, only 25 have been successful or partially successful, and the success rate of Mars landing missions is only 45%. The difficulty of project implementation is self-evident.
is important, that is, it is of great significance. ——“Detecting extraterrestrial planets is an important way and means for us to understand the mysteries of the universe.” Zhang Rongqiao said, “Carrying out deep space exploration not only helps humans understand the solar system and the origin and evolution of life, but also promotes social and economic development and the advancement of human civilization. Continuous progress is also a reflection of the country's comprehensive national strength and innovation capabilities. We Chinese should also make achievements in this field." At the same time, deep space exploration has become the forefront of aerospace activities in the world today, and has a profound impact on national scientific and technological development, economic construction, and social progress. It is of great significance.
But how should I go to Mars for the first time? Zhang Rongqiao said frankly that this is the issue that takes the most effort and is the most controversial in the demonstration stage.
At that time, the project team was well aware of the difficulty of Mars exploration, and considered adopting a three-step plan similar to the "circling, landing, and returning" of the lunar exploration project, which would have relatively small risks and would proceed steadily.
"But we are still unwilling." Zhang Rongqiao said, "China's Mars exploration started late, and there is a certain gap with foreign countries. However, with the successful implementation of manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects in our country, certain technologies and equipment have been provided for Mars exploration. We must not only consider risks, but must have the spirit of responsibility and the courage to overcome difficulties. Once successful, it will not only save money, but also complete technological leaps in a short period of time, bringing China into the world's advanced ranks in the field of planetary exploration. This It is the dream of several generations of China’s aerospace industry, and it is also the inevitable choice for the development of my country’s aerospace industry.” After a long period of ideological collision, the experts finally reached a consensus: we can “reach out” and “tiptoe” to achieve “circulation” in one step. , patrol, and patrol” risks are controllable.
However, this also means that development is more difficult and risky. “To put it bluntly, the possibility of failure increases, which has become a pressure for developers.” Faced with huge challenges, the engineering team Plan well, conduct repeated design and confirmation of technical solutions, and conduct a large number of ground test verification work.
Behind many “firsts”
After the demonstration was completed, China’s first Mars exploration mission entered the early development stage in September 2014, and the project was officially approved two years later. As early as that time, the launch time had been set: late July 2020.
This is not only because it is the launch window for Mars exploration, but also because China wants to have Chinese robots patrol the surface of Mars in time for China's first centenary.
"We went ahead with the (launch) moment determined 6 years ago, but the difficulties and challenges we encountered were still very huge." The Tianwen-1 mission achieved many firsts in the history of my country's aerospace development: the first Achieve the second cosmic speed launch of the detector, the first interplanetary flight, the first soft landing of an extraterrestrial planet, the first extraterrestrial surface patrol detection, and the first 400 million kilometers long distance Measurement and control communication, the first time to obtain first-hand scientific data on Mars, and most importantly, the first time in the world to successfully achieve the three goals of Mars orbiting, landing and patrolling in one mission.
Behind every “first”, there are countless hardships and challenges in scientific research.
is restricted by the laws of celestial bodies and technology. There is only a launch window every 26 months, each lasting about half a month and about 30 minutes a day. If missed, the launch will be delayed by 26 months. However, the sudden COVID-19 epidemic had a huge impact on the originally tense development cycle. The joint Mars exploration project of ESA and Russia, originally scheduled to be launched in 2020, had no choice but to be postponed due to technical reasons and the impact of the epidemic.
“Faced with the serious difficulties brought by the epidemic, our engineering research and development personnel have the courage to take on their responsibilities. With the vigorous coordination, careful arrangements and close cooperation of governments at all levels and relevant units, they have overcome the adverse impact of the epidemic on the implementation of tasks and achieved the results as planned. The launch was successful on time," Zhang Rongqiao said.
On July 23, 2020, the Long March 5 carrier rocket carried the Tianwen-1 detector and sailed into the starry sky. After 202 days of interstellar flight and 93 days of detailed inspection of the Mars orbit and landing area, the comprehensive information obtained about After receiving various information about the landing area, Zhang Rongqiao was confident about the landing mission.
Compared with the result of a successful landing, Zhang Rongqiao pays more attention to the process, "because the process determines the result." For this reason, from the beginning of development, they have always maintained an attitude of being cautious, walking on thin ice, and facing an abyss to complete all work.
For example, in view of the thin and uncertain atmosphere of Mars, engineers developed aerodynamic shape deceleration technology to ensure that the landing rover maintains a stable attitude and decelerates efficiently during the landing process; in order to adapt to the complex terrain of Mars, they designed a six-wheel independent wheel for the Mars rover. It is driven by the active suspension structural system. In addition, there is a "中"-shaped relief on the silicon carbide wheels, which can be used to mark the mileage and leave a Chinese imprint on the surface of Mars.
"We paid attention to the process, and we are confident about the results." On May 15, 2021, the Tianwen-1 probe landed smoothly in the pre-selected landing area in the southern part of Mars' Utopia Plain. The whole process was "as precise and smooth as a textbook." . On May 22, the "Zhurong" Mars rover left the landing platform and officially set foot on Mars to begin its inspection and exploration journey. As a result, China's first Mars exploration mission achieved the three major goals of "orbiting, landing, and patrolling" Mars at once. The project was a complete success and took an important step in China's planetary exploration journey.
At present, the "Zhurong" Mars rover has carried out more than 300 Mars day expeditions. It has not only sent back a large amount of scientific detection data, but also conducted on-orbit relay communication tests with the European Space Agency's "Mars Express" orbiter. .
Starting a new journey of planetary exploration
On December 15, 2021, Zhang Rongqiao was selected into the "Ten People Influencing Scientific Events in 2021" by Nature magazine. He was the only Chinese on the list that year. Recently, he was also awarded the "The World is Beautiful Because of You - 2021-2022 Chinese Influence the World Ceremony" award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the world of scientific research as the chief designer of China's first Mars exploration mission. . This award is initiated by Phoenix TV Group and a number of Chinese-language media at home and abroad to jointly recommend and commend outstanding Chinese models who have achieved excellence in different fields and have global influence.
"This is not about how outstanding I am personally, but that my peers in the world have highly recognized the Tianwen-1 mission. As the chief engineer of the project, I just did what I should do." Compared with personal honors, Zhang Rongqiao also regarded this as an affirmation of the ten years of work of the five major systems, thousands of research and development units, and tens of thousands of scientific and technological workers behind the project.
Someone once asked him, if you were to give a score to China's first Mars exploration mission, how would you give it? Zhang Rongqiao said: "From the perspective of development requirements, we handed in a 100-point examination paper, but apart from the examination paper, we can do better." Some people think this is a gesture of humility, while others think it is quite perfectionistic. However, Zhang Rongqiao does not agree with it. He has always adhered to a pragmatic, rigorous and pragmatic scientific attitude and strives for excellence.
As of mid-May 2022, the Zhurong Mars rover has worked for more than 300 Martian days, traveled a total of 1,921 meters, and returned a large amount of first-hand scientific detection data. This seems to be the result of "extended service", but Zhang Rongqiao feels that it is consistent expected.
Now, as the northern hemisphere of Mars enters winter, the intensity of sunlight gradually weakens, the night temperature drops below -100°C, and dust weather occurs in the landing area. The Zhurong rover begins to enter sleep mode, waiting for the end of winter in the northern hemisphere of Mars and the arrival of spring at the end of the year. time, wake up and restart.
In the orbit around the fire hundreds of kilometers above it, the Tianwen-1 orbiter, which has been operating for more than 700 days, is still working non-stop. The seven scientific detection payloads it carries have achieved global remote sensing detection of Mars.
"Tianwen-1 has opened a new journey for China's planetary exploration." Zhang Rongqiao said, "The success of the mission will not only greatly promote the development of China's space science, especially planetary science research, but also master key technologies through engineering and build The facilities will also lay a good foundation for subsequent projects and provide important human resources guarantee."
According to the overall plan of China's planetary exploration project, China will focus on Mars exploration. Around 2030, it will successively carry out missions such as asteroid detection, Mars sampling and return, and Jupiter galaxy detection.
"Humans have not yet achieved Mars sampling and return , which is a huge challenge for us. "Zhang Rongqiao said. Some scientists once said that this is a human technological innovation comparable to the Apollo moon landing, which shows how difficult it is. But he believes that China's planetary exploration project development plan is interlocked, and Tianwen Yi The Mars exploration mission has achieved Mars arrival and landing inspections, and the ongoing Tianwen-2 asteroid sampling return mission will experiment with sampling return technology from extraterrestrial objects, and these will become important links in the Tianwen-3 Mars sampling return Zhang Rongqiao said, “We will continue to set new heights in China’s planetary exploration at China’s speed by gradually decomposing tasks and solving technical problems. "
Author丨Editor Lu Yi丨Duan Wen
On the evening of July 16 (Saturday), Guojiao 1573 "The world is beautiful because of you - 2021-2022 Influence the World Chinese Ceremony" was magnificently unveiled. Phoenix TV Chinese Channel, European Channel , Channel America, and Hong Kong Channel (on the evening of July 17) will broadcast the live broadcast of the ceremony to the world, and Phoenix New Media will also conduct a simultaneous online broadcast. Let us see the glorious moment when Zhang Rongqiao was awarded the "2021-2022 World Chinese Influence Award". !
