Winners of the Meritorious Medal of "Two Bombs and One Star" on the 60th anniversary of the launch of China’s first sounding rocket

　　China News Service, September 13 (Zheng Yingying) China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Shanghai Institute of Aerospace Technology held a symposium in Shanghai on the 13th to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the successful launch of China's first T-7 sounding rocket at base 603.

　　On September 13, 1960, China's first T-7 sounding rocket was successfully launched at Base 603. The rocket has a take-off weight of 700 kg and a flying height of 19.2 kilometers.

"China's first sounding rocket launch site" 603 base was chosen to be located in Guangde, Anhui.

Data map: China's first T-7 sounding rocket was launched at base 603.

Photo courtesy of Shanghai Aerospace Technology Research Institute

　　Among China's 23 "two bombs and one star" meritorious medal winners, Qian Xuesen, Zhao Jiuzhang, Wang Xiji, Qian Ji, etc. have all left footprints in the 603 base or participated in the development of sounding rockets.

　　Academician Wang Xiji, who was the chief engineer of Shanghai Mechanical and Electrical Design Institute, was unable to come to Shanghai that day, but he made a special trip to send a recording saying: "I think we were very young back then, independent, self-reliant, hard work, overcoming all kinds of difficulties, T-7 The sounding rocket was launched... that era was really an era of desperate and hard work."

Data map: In the 1960s, the T-7 sounding rocket body was hoisted on the tower at the Guangde 603 launch site in Anhui.

Photo courtesy of Shanghai Aerospace Technology Research Institute

　　Wang Xiji once described that period in an article: Shanghai Mechanical and Electrical Design Institute transferred hundreds of students from various universities. At that time, the average age of technicians was only about 21 years old. Although this team had never engaged in rockets, "Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers." The propellant used in the first launch vehicle designed is liquid fluorine and methanol high-energy propellant that no one has used before... We learn by ourselves, teach everyone, and design and produce It really can be described as "crossing the river by feeling the stones"... We deeply realize that to develop a launch vehicle, we cannot only consider the launch vehicle itself. The launch vehicle is only a system in the large engineering system for satellites to enter space.

In addition, what we have developed is a launch vehicle made in China, and everything must be based on China's reality.

Data map: In the 1960s, the T-7 sounding rocket was ready for launch at the Guangde 603 launch site.

Photo courtesy of Shanghai Aerospace Technology Research Institute

　　At the forum in Shanghai that day, more than a dozen astronauts, eighty or ninety years old, were rarely welcomed, reminiscing on the days of "groping from scratch" in the past.

　　Qi Nanqiang, the former deputy chief economist of the 86-year-old Shanghai Institute of Aerospace Technology, recalled: At that time, apart from experts such as Qian Xuesen giving us lectures, we mainly searched for aerospace materials and books from abroad, some of which were not available for purchase, so we opened them. Come and read in turns, showing our desire for space knowledge at that time.

　　He still remembered that a college student drew a rocket painting at that time, and the text beside it was: draw it on paper today, hold it in his hand tomorrow, and put it in the sky the day after tomorrow.

Qi Nanqiang said, "This shows our courage, confidence and determination in spaceflight."

Data map: The arrow recovered after the launch of the T-7 sounding rocket in the 1960s.

Photo courtesy of Shanghai Aerospace Technology Research Institute

　　Since the successful launch of the first sounding rocket on September 13, 1960, in the following six years, Base 603 has conducted more than 30 sounding, meteorological and biological rocket launch tests of various types and purposes, creating China Many firsts in the history of aerospace: The first time that modern control technology was used to successfully launch China's first liquid fuel meteorological sounding rocket; China's first high-altitude biological test rocket was successfully launched and recovered; China's first time was successfully completed Ionospheric exploration test mission.

In addition, in the successful recovery of the biological rocket test, the two puppies "Little Leopard" and "Shanshan" were successfully carried and recovered, flying at an altitude of more than 70 kilometers.

All these laid the foundation for China's later returnable satellite and manned space projects.

Data map: The recovery site of the T-7 sounding rocket after the launch in the 1960s.

Photo courtesy of Shanghai Aerospace Technology Research Institute

　　Ma Jia, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Shanghai Aerospace Technology Research Institute, said that the 603 base has witnessed the arduous development of China’s aerospace industry in the early stage. One Jiazi has passed, and the long-cherished wish has become a reality. Today, we are developing China’s own large space station. The Q1 rover is on its way to Mars. Looking back on that period of history, we have more in mind the original intention of serving the country in space.

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