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Tang Hua: "Speaking of this... something really happened yesterday."
……
Yesterday was June 6, the first stage test of the Long March-2K3 bundled launch vehicle.
The Long March-3K4 of the Taiyuan Space Launch Center has just been placed on the launch pad, and its appearance makes the people of Pingyao a few kilometers away smack their lips.
Although the second stage and the load are counterweights, the rocket is one-third shorter than the normal Long March-3K4, but this rocket is thick.Bundled together with four boosters, the first stage looks like a colossus.
Ren Xinmin, who was at the scene, was not at ease. The first stage of the Long March-3K4 is equal to the first stage of one Long March-3 plus four Long March-4s. The system is much more complicated, and it takes a lot of money in production and testing. strength.
Rocket refueling, launch window arrives, countdown, launch.
The Long March-3K4 breathes fire and rises slowly.The first stage of the entire rocket has 8 engines and 20 nozzles. When it goes up to the sky, the fire below it is also very bright, illuminating the night sky for several kilometers.
The rocket deflected slightly in the sky, left the launch site area, and flew faster and faster... Then, at a distance of more than ten kilometers from the launch site and an altitude of 8000 meters, the rocket disintegrated.
"Let's see, 32 seconds." Qian Xuesen looked at the film playback of the documentary. "At this time, it probably just exceeded the speed of sound. Is it because of the vibration of the sound barrier that caused the malfunction?"
Tang Hua and Qian Xuesen were watching a movie replay.The details of the flight captured by the telephoto tracking camera are clearer than what can be seen with the naked eye. The rocket suddenly disintegrated at 7700 meters. It seems that the main rocket body collapsed and exploded into a ball of fire.
But what makes people laugh and cry is that not only did the four boosters not fail, they didn't even have an accident due to the collapse of the main rocket body, but they were working normally.However, since the connection between the booster and the main rocket has been disconnected, the four self-operating boosters flew up, down, left, and right respectively.
Tang Hua pointed to the four boosters that flew out after the rocket disintegrated: "Old Qian, look, besides Korolev's cross, there is also Qian Xuesen's cross."
Qian Xuesen: "..."
Tang Hua: "The cause of the failure is unknown now. It may be a production defect or a design defect. No matter what, we have to find the rocket wreckage."
Qian Xuesen: "The wreckage of the rocket is distributed in the northwest of Shenmu County, 280 kilometers away from Taiyuan.
Feeling, this may not be a production defect, but an omission in our design. "
Tang Hua: "Is it the problem caused by design flaws after breaking the sound barrier you just said?"
"My first instinct is the problem of the sound barrier. Behind this problem should be an omission of a certain subsystem."
Tang Hua: "If this is the case, then go back to the design stage and re-investigate and solve hidden dangers."
Qian Xuesen: "The most scratchy thing now is that the four boosters flew away, and they should have landed in four places, and the main rocket body is in another place. We have to wait patiently to recover the wreckage."
Tang Hua: "It's not a big deal. Now the Soviet Union is improving and strengthening the 8K7 series, and the United States is strengthening the Atlas rocket. Our Long March [-] plus bundled configuration is larger than both of them. If the first flight can be successful next year, the world's largest It is the record of the launch vehicle. Since it is the strongest rocket in the world, it is normal to have a little twists and turns in the development."
Taiyuan.
"What is the world's strongest rocket, it's normal to have more twists and turns," Ren Xinmin said with a gloomy face, "Mr. Tang's words are to comfort us, so don't take it for granted. Every year, the models of Chinese computers are the strongest in the world, but When has the chain been dropped? Let’s not be self-absorbed, while recovering the wreckage, the design team is also re-calculating the structure, and it’s best to find the flaws.”
Tu Shou'e: "Then I'll go back to the Design Institute now."
……
Fang Shan, Institute of Atomic Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It was the first time for Bervushin and Kurchatov to enter the China Nuclear Weapons Design Institute. Of course, they did not visit all the design units and experimental facilities, but only went to the computing center in the institute.
In the computing center, Kurchatov saw Tianhe-[-] here, and also listened to Peng Hengwu briefly introduce the current research progress in the direction of virtual nuclear explosions.
Now Kurchatov basically believes that the engineering verification of the atomic bomb can be carried out by means of a virtual nuclear explosion.If both China and the Soviet Union can complete nuclear tests in virtual space, calling for a complete ban on nuclear tests internationally and putting pressure on the United States, Britain, and France will have a very positive effect.
"If the U.S. has also mastered computerized virtual nuclear explosion technology, will the two sides be back on the same starting line?" Bervusin asked.
Tang Hua: "In theory, it is. However, it may take another 10 to 20 years for the United States to obtain a supercomputer of this level. However, if they develop a supercomputer capable of virtual nuclear explosions, then The next step will be very fast, after all, they have conducted too many nuclear tests and accumulated a large amount of first-hand test data."
Kurchatov: "I re-imagined the roadmap. If we have the basic data and laws of this type of nuclear weapons, computer virtual nuclear explosions can probably conduct virtual tests on the same type of nuclear weapons. However, if After the nuclear test, the design team of the future nuclear bomb has figured out a new category, and I am not sure that the old algorithm can simulate it 100% accurately."
Tang Hua nodded, the problem Kurchatov mentioned does exist.
Kurchatov and Peng Hengwu exchanged views on nuclear explosion parameters, while Tang Hua and Bervushin talked about nuclear project management.
"The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union believes that there is no need to hide anything about the technology of atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs when communicating with China," Bervushin said. "Today we visited China's Nuclear Research Institute. When the time is right, we will invite Chinese nuclear experts returned to visit similar institutions of the Soviet Academy of Sciences.”
Tang Hua: "That would be the best."
Berwuxin stroked his beard, turned his walking direction slightly, and went out to a remote corner.
"Minister Tang," Berwusin said, "like you, I have participated in the management of the nuclear project and I am also a member of the State Planning Commission....Last month, the State Planning Commission's agricultural planning and agricultural data statistics departments were It is demanded that statistics on maize sowing and harvesting throughout the Soviet Union be deleted from the database."
Tang Hua: "Required by the superior?"
Bervushin: "Of course the superior, the highest superior."
The superior at the top is Khrushchev.
Tang Hua: "Cough..."
Bervusin: "In 1959 and 1960, according to the agricultural data obtained by the State Planning Commission and the National Bureau of Statistics, the sown area of corn was huge, but the harvest was very bad, but more than half of the cultivated land did not even grow to 30 corn seedlings. The centimeter froze to death. Khrushchev was furious when he saw the statistics, and then he demanded that they be revised."
Tang Hua: "..."
"Moreover, this spring, Khrushchev still vigorously advocated corn planting in public, advocating that the Soviet Union should use corn and green corn stalks as cattle feed, vigorously develop animal husbandry, and allow the Soviet Union's meat supply to catch up with that of the United States."
"We have supercomputers that are 10 to 20 years ahead of the United States, but they can't solve problems like this."
Tang Hua: "Perhaps... the informatization construction of the Soviet Union and the State Planning Commission of China in recent years has brought a misunderstanding to people's consciousness. They think that only science and technology and computers can solve all problems. In fact, they are not. Computers can solve all problems. Solve a large part of the problem, but the premise is that there are no problems with people.”
Kurchatov: "People are indeed the most critical factor. So I also want to ask, does China's State Planning Commission have such a problem..."
Tang Hua: "We have also been paying attention to and guarding against the emergence of this situation. But our situation may be slightly better than what you said, because our 'top superior' is credible."
……
"Comrade Khrushchev, tsk..."
The Prime Minister could only shake his head.
Li Fuchun also shook his head.
"How is this possible? How is it possible?" said the chairman, "Seeking truth from facts is the basic standpoint and research method of us Communists, as well as our basic line! If we deviate from this principle, what kind of socialism does he have?" "
Prime Minister: "This is a very bad effect on Soviet agriculture. Moreover, if this opening is opened, the unhealthy trend may spread to other fields."
Chairman: "I want to write an article to talk about this matter, and let the People's Daily publish it. First, we must be alert to this phenomenon in ourselves, and second, we must also tell the Soviet comrades that they did this. wrong."
"Chairman, we want to take precautions and carry out internal self-criticism, but for the Soviet Union, do we have to criticize Khrushchev by name?"
"Chairman, my opinion is that it should be said. There must be criticism and self-criticism, and we cannot watch them make mistakes."
"We are a friendly party, but we are not the Communist Party of the Soviet Union after all. If outsiders point out their problems, if they do not realize that this is a problem internally, it may be embarrassing..."