Reporter Gan Xiao trainee reporter Yan Tao
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has such a group of lucky "moon chasers", whose highlight moments of life overlap with every milestone of the mainland's deep space exploration: "Chang'e-1" was launched to open the prelude to the mainland lunar exploration project, "Chang'e-2" obtained a full-moon image map, "Chang'e-3" landed on the lunar surface, "Chang'e-4" arrived on the far side of the moon that humans have never been to, and "Chang'e-5" retrieved 1731 grams of samples from the lunar surface and returned to the earth...
In addition to the "highlight", their "moonlight family" life of "moonlight family" that "works at the moon and rests on the moon" is as obscure as the back of the moon, and few people see it.
At the beginning of the new year of 2022, the 2021 Outstanding Scientific and Technological Achievement Award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was awarded to them, the National Astronomical Observatory Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Ground Application System Research Collective, in recognition of their important contributions to the construction of the national lunar and deep space exploration ground application system support platform, as well as the implementation of five lunar exploration projects and the first Mars exploration on the mainland.
Science-led, "get up earliest, sleep the latest"
The Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Ground Application System (hereinafter referred to as the Ground Application System) is one of the five major systems of the mainland lunar exploration project and the "base camp" of "Chang'e", shouldering the task of formulating scientific exploration plans and payload operation plans.
As early as 2004, before the "Chang'e Project" was established, scientists at the National Astronomical Observatory launched the conceptual design of the ground application system. "To be precise, ground-based application systems should be called 'scientific application systems.'" Li Chunlai, commander-in-chief and chief designer of the ground application system and researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory, told China Science News.
When scientific instruments are sent to the moon about 400,000 kilometers away from the earth, scientists want to get answers to which questions, how to remotely control these instruments, how the detection data obtained by the instruments is transmitted back to the earth, and how these valuable scientific data are managed and analyzed.
"From the beginning of the formulation of scientific goals, to the selection of payloads, to the data reception, processing, research, the ground application system has a complete scientific chain, in the entire lunar exploration engineering system 'get up the earliest, sleep the latest'." Li Chunlai pointed out, "Before the other systems of the project began, our work began; after the satellite data acquisition was over, we had to continue to work." ”
Looking back on the 20 years of the lunar exploration project, the ground application system and the five major systems from multiple departments have played their own advantages and achieved a leap forward in many tasks on the mainland from scratch.
Before the Chang'e-1 mission in 2007, 400,000 kilometers of data reception was an impossible task for the mainland data receiving system. To this end, the research team of the National Astronomical Observatory built a new data reception system from scratch, including asia's largest aperture antenna at the time in Miyun, Beijing. In the 2013 Chang'e-3 mission, the newly built Remote Science Exploration Laboratory realized the interoperability of controlling the lunar rover on the ground. In the recent "Chang'e-5" mission, the first "lunar sample laboratory" in China was built, which is dedicated to the storage, processing and analysis of "extraterrestrial samples". In the 2020 Tianwen-1 mission, data from Mars 400 million kilometers away will be collected and processed.
The lunar exploration project has always been led by science, and the results have continuously expanded and deepened human understanding of the moon. "In particular, the study of lunar samples can help us go deep into the evolutionary history of the moon and understand its age, material composition, deep structural characteristics, and the process of solar weathering." Li Chun said.
Overcome difficulties and leave unforgettable moments
Create a continental lunar and planetary science standard system, fill the gap in the field of continental lunar and deep space exploration, and lay the cornerstone of continental lunar and planetary scientific research and applications... From scratch, the "difficulty" of the ground application system is obvious.
"In the face of difficulties, it all depends on everyone to fight together." Su Yan, deputy chief designer of the ground application system for the first Mars exploration mission and researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory, told China Science Daily.
In her memory, the hardest days were before the launch of Chang'e-1. Unexpected new problems suddenly appeared, and the task timing made Su Yan and his colleagues feel a sharp increase in pressure. "We climb the 50-meter antenna of Miyun every day, there is no elevator, and it is very tiring to climb once." She told China Science Daily, "In order to go to the toilet less, we don't drink much water every day, so we stay in a small space and work." In the end, they solved the problem as scheduled and ensured the reception of Chang'e-1 data.
On November 21, 2007, the first image acquired by Chang'e-1 with a high-resolution camera will be transmitted back to the ground application system. "At that time, the walkie-talkie had already notified the start of data transmission, but the Miyun station where I was located had no screen for a long time, and it was reasonable to say that the Miyun station was the first station where the data reached the earth and should come out soon." Su Yan was sweating profusely. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind: Why didn't she receive the data? What went wrong?
After a long few minutes, the data suddenly appeared on the big screen, and a clear photo of the moon surface was presented in front of Su Yan's eyes, and she was relieved. Later, through careful analysis, they learned that the delay originated from the natural process of changing the direction of the antenna on the ground on the star.
The same moment that Li Chunlai experienced left him with unforgettable memories: "The image of the moon surface is displayed in front of his eyes frame by frame... This is the first time Chang'e-1 has opened its 'eyes', and the first time we have seen the lunar surface really and closely. My colleagues and I both shed tears. Later, he also followed the "Chang'e-4" to the far side of the moon that human beings have never reached, and followed the "Chang'e-5" to "dig the earth" immersively, and the precious moments he remembered vividly.
Organizing and coordinating the construction of the "Lunar Sample Laboratory" is a difficult problem for Zhang Hongbo, deputy chief engineer of ground application system (chief division of Chang'e-4 ground application system), deputy commander- and researcher of the National Astronomical Observatory. "I've done administrative work, I have some experience in organization and coordination, and I'm relatively older in the team, but I'm an automation student and I know very little about geoscience." Zhang Hongbo told China Science Daily. After the knowledge of "bad supplementation" geology, Zhang Hongbo, who was not even clear about the composition of basalt and feldspar at the beginning, finally had a preliminary understanding of the lunar samples.
When the "Chang'e-5" sample was stationed, the moment the encapsulation device was opened, it gave them a big surprise. "It was December 22, 2020, and we opened the sealed tank in the vacuum chamber as planned, and the sound of 'popping' felt like it was both the end of decades of struggle and a new beginning." Liu Jianjun, deputy chief designer of the ground application system (chief engineer of the ground application system of the first Mars exploration mission) and researcher of the National Astronomical Observatory, told China Science Daily.
Dream, endure loneliness
From the "MoonlightEr" to the "Martians", the team harvested one highlight moment after another. They said bluntly that if the time scale is relaxed to more than 20 years, then the loneliness of perseverance will be beyond the imagination of outsiders.
Liu Jianjun joined the team after graduating with a doctorate in 2002, starting from the front-line technical personnel, and successively served as the deputy chief designer of the ground application system of the second and third phases of the lunar exploration, and the chief designer of the ground application system of the first Mars exploration mission. "I feel honored to be able to integrate my personal growth into the big era of national development." He said.
"I remember February 10, 2021, the twenty-ninth day of the New Year, everyone was busy with the New Year." Liu Jianjun said. According to the plan, "Tianwen-1" will be captured by Mars on this day, enter the ring fire orbit, and complete the "thrilling" step of the fire-running journey. The joy of the success of the mission made Liu Jianjun almost forget the joy of the Spring Festival, and simply spent Chinese New Year's Eve at work. "It's been 20 years, and my family is used to it, so I can just report it when I have a task." He said.
Su Yan is also not a "chicken baby" because she is busy at work, but she is more satisfied with her role between work and family. Her point of view is, "I'm focused on my work, I want to use actions to tell my children that everyone is responsible for taking care of their own affairs." ”
"Dream" is undoubtedly the source of the team's spirit of being able to stick to it for 20 years. "Doing something that no one else has done, exploring something that no one else has explored, our team has always had this dream." Zhang Hongbo said.
Finally, Li Chunlai sent a message to the young researchers in the team: "I hope that young people will continue to have dreams, maintain endurance, and unremitting efforts to help the country achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance with original scientific research." ”
China Science Daily (2022-01-28 1st Edition Highlights)
Source: China Science Daily