Author Guo Chaokai, Liu Shasha,
At 20: 55 on May 29, the Long March 7 rocket lit up the night sky at Wenchang Space Launch Site and successfully sent the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft into space. After nine days of belated victory, the hearts of all the test team members at the launch site finally fell to the ground.
Why was the Tianzhou-2 mission originally scheduled to be launched in the early morning of May 20th postponed twice in a row? In the past nine days, how did the researchers solve the technical problems and finally complete the task?
Launch site. Luo
Abnormal phenomenon, a hard battle.
19 at 2 1 40 pm on may 26th, less than 3 hours before the launch of the Long March 7 rocket, the data information in the launch accusation hall showed: "Some pressure parameter is abnormal!" Suddenly, the scene of the launch hall fell into silence.
Huge rocket, huge system, where are the loopholes? Faced with this situation, Shao Yetao, chief commander of the power system of the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said with emotion: "Our cryogenic rocket will undergo another severe test."
The rocket must not go wrong. At that time, the rocket body had been filled and the tail cabin was always in a state of hot nitrogen blowing. This also means that the test team members must wear breathing masks to enter the cabin.
Immediately, the two assemblers changed their clothes, put on masks and got into the arrow from the hatch 50 cm square. It was dark in the cabin, and the sound of gas blowing was deafening, but they didn't have time to consider the tightness of the closed space and the cold of-183, and continued to climb on the arrow-shaped structure, carefully and calmly groping for the leak detection point.
"I found it!" After two inspections, the problem was exposed, but soon news came from the rear, not the culprit. On the evening of May 19, less than 2 hours before the scheduled launch time, the model leaders unanimously decided: "postpone the launch."
Loss occupied the mood of the test team members, and everyone felt "half-hearted". However, everyone knows better: this is the result of careful research by the headquarters, the iron discipline, and the bottom line and unshakable that the rocket will not bring a trace of hidden dangers to the sky.
That night, the test team made an emergency deployment, played an extremely spirit, and continued to invest in the intense troubleshooting. On May 20, the test team entered the cabin again in four batches, found new problems and reversed the situation through a series of measures.
"There is hope again!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and greeted the launch in the early morning of May 2 1 in high spirits. However, after 8 hours of propellant replenishment, the anomaly reappeared and the launch was delayed again.
Launch site. Luo
The persistence of ice and fire
The launch scheduled for the early morning of May 20th was postponed twice. There are still nine days before the next launch window. Addition and emission of rocket fuel. In the high temperature, high humidity and high salt fog, what kind of training will the "ice arrow" of the Long March 7 undergo? This is destined to be a fierce battle.
Without delay, after the launch was postponed, the model team quickly adjusted the state, regrouped, reversed the plan, and began a four-day zeroing. In order to further troubleshoot, the test team members still have to enter the cabin in batches. The cabin was cold and stuffy, and one of the test team members vomited all over the floor as soon as they got out of the cabin. However, no one flinched. After 48 hours of continuous operation, no one cried bitterly and no one shouted tired.
The Long March 7 rocket is a veritable "ice arrow". After the rocket was postponed for the first time, the test team found that the rocket body was frozen. "It is the first time in our space history that the rocket has been exposed for such a long time after adding a lot of low-temperature fuel." Zhao Hongfei, Deputy Director of Workshop 57 of Tianjin Big Rocket Company, No.211Factory of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, introduced.
In Hainan in May, the heat was unbearable, the outdoor temperature was 36, and the humidity reached over 90%. Among the ice arrows, the low temperature is below zero 183. "Two days of ice and fire" tested the Long March 7 rocket and every tester. On the arrow body, on the short shell in front of the oxygen box, ice cubes are one after another, the big one is 30-40 cm long and 10 cm wide. The team members carefully cut the ice cubes with the existing tools, and some people specially caught the ice cubes with bags to avoid the ice cubes hurting the products.
In the final assembly team of this batch of Tianjin big rockets, young people born after 1990 accounted for more than 90%. When troubleshooting, the players had red blood in their eyes and prickly heat on their legs, but they said, "We can still do it." In order to catch up with the time and progress, no one had time to drink the mung bean soup sent under the tower.
This group of young rocket soldiers who were "the first to see the rocket" and "the last to leave the army" at the launch site once again continued to write the clank oath of "the back wall will not fall" with practical actions.
Launch site. Guo Wenbin
Knock on the door with "steady success"
Delaying the launch is to ensure success, and success is the only criterion. In the face of rocket anomalies, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation played a game of chess in one hospital, and verified the positioning, zeroing and reverse flow schemes. The model office responded quickly, laying a foundation for the orderly development of the follow-up work.
On May 25th, the zeroing work came to an end. On May 26th, simulated launch drill; May 27th and 28th, ready to fill. On May 29th, the rocket propellant was filled and successfully launched at 20: 55 that night.
After nine days of tempering, the Long March 7 rocket successfully completed the journey, and finally achieved complete success and won the battle of honor. Cheng Tangming, chief engineer of the Long March 7 rocket model of the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said: "This is a key battle in the construction of the space station. We have one and only one goal, and we are pursuing' steady success'. "
In this regard, Wang Xiaojun, president of the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said that the rocket was postponed twice in a row and was ready for launch three times, during which all the propellants were exhausted. The final launch victory today was achieved by the scientific research team with only seven days of hard work. Astronauts adhere to the principle of "strictness, prudence, delicacy and truthfulness" in their work, and they are also fighting for victory, mission and honor.
Launch site. Guo Wenbin
Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft is the first spacecraft in the construction stage of China Space Station. This mission will realize the rendezvous and docking of the cargo spacecraft with the space station and the core module for the first time, and transport the daily necessities needed by the astronauts of the space station, materials for conducting space science experiments and propellant for replenishing the space station and the core module. With the successful launch of Tianzhou-2, the on-orbit construction of China Space Station is progressing steadily. (End)
Editor: Pan Ye