Space exploration 36 years ago and another space expedition at the age of 77
Space hero Green
Americans have the idea that "I am the best in the world." This is naive arrogance, and it is also the driving force that stimulates progress and development.
When this kind of arrogance is frustrated and challenged, it will provoke unimaginable backlash
I have lived in the United States for half a century and have personally experienced many such challenges and backlash.
The most shocking one is that when the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was at its peak, the former Soviet Union
launched an artificial satellite before the United States on October 4, 1957.
When this satellite followed the earth's orbit and moved in space day and night, Americans almost felt that it was a national crisis. With the passion of avenging his shame, the young President Kennedy announced that Americans would "land on the moon."
The first step to landing on the moon must be to launch astronauts into space. A "Mercury Project" that spared no expense
was fully launched. By February 20, 1962, Green, the first American astronaut, successfully flew into space and returned safely three times around the earth in four hours and fifty-five minutes. . This was a moment of victory that the American people cheered wildly.
Green became a hero in the United States who wiped out the national humiliation and turned things around.
This "astronaut" who is addicted to flying adventures originally thought that he would soon be able
to step up to the moon. However, perhaps in order to maintain his complete heroic image, or to cultivate more astronauts, the US Aeronautics and Space Administration has never allowed him to embark on a journey into space again. .
Disappointed, Green took off his space suit and entered politics. It is rumored that President Kennedy
intended to use his fame to cultivate him as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He did
join the campaign for the Democratic presidential candidate for a time; but he soon realized the difficulty. and retired,
and was finally elected as the Democratic Senator representing Ohio. He served four terms for 24 years. In 24 years, this hero of the air raids became a high-ranking figure on Capitol Hill. politician.
As a seventy-seven-year-old respected politician, he should have retired
Returned to his hometown to enjoy his old age; but unexpectedly, after he announced his retirement from the Senate,
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Invite the tassel back into space again.
His actions were not a desperate attempt to gain fame and reputation, nor were they a reflection of his hard work
on a whim, but a calm decision made after years of careful consideration.
It turns out that when he was a senator, he participated in the work of the Congressional Select Committee on Aging
. These research materials made him think that the changes in the human body caused by the loss of terrestrial suction during astronaut training are very similar to aging on the ground. There are 34 million people in the United States over the age of 65, and this number will triple in the next 50 years. The number of elderly people in the world is even more considerable.
To understand the changes in the human body of the elderly in an environment without gravity, an elderly astronaut must be launched into space for experiments. This He belongs to no one else. For this serious mission,
he decided to re-form his uniform and apply to the Aeronautics and Space Administration for another air mission.
After a strict physical examination, he was officially approved to board the "Discovery" space shuttle for a nine-day flight on October 29, 1998.
The preparations for his application had been kept secret from the outside world. When his
request was officially approved and released, it caused explosive tributes across the United States
Phew, Green's famous name shines brightly across the United States again like the sunset.
His old wife reacted very calmly when she learned of his intentions. They were married for 55 years, during which time Green flew 149 missions, including the five-hour Mercury Project space flight. As the wife of a soldier and astronaut, she was accustomed to her husband's adventurous life. His two children are used to it. 36 years ago
When Greenland first conquered the air, his son was only 16 years old and his daughter was 14 years old. Today they are 52 and 50 years old.
The two grandchildren are exactly the age their parents were when they were 11 years old.
On October 29 this year, three generations of their grandparents will watch their 77-year-old relative fly into space at the Clinton home
on television.
36 years ago, Greenland’s first mission was in space for nearly 5 hours. The United States and the world seemed to have stopped breathing and stared at the historic images on the TV screen. .
Now 36 years have passed, and people are getting older but their passion is still there. The heroic feat of conquering Greenland again will definitely rekindle the carnival enthusiasm of the past. The world-class figures in Zhengkong have also experienced tremendous changes. The domineering Khrushchev has been completely forgotten, and the majestic Kennedy has long been buried underground. The only person
who is in power is Queen Elizabeth of England, but she is already aging in seclusion in the palace.
The world is changing and people are aging, but the development of science and technology is changing with each passing day. The "Discovery" space shuttle Greenland is riding in for its second space expedition today and the "Mercury" that year There is a huge difference between the "Friendship 7" space capsule in the "Project"
The "Friendship 7" is only
a single seater, while Green is placed on On the seat. This cabin, which can only accommodate one person, also has only a sliver of skylight. "Discovery" has ten large windows; "Friendship 7" has only 56 on the control panel. Electric buttons, there were 850 on the Discovery.
Based on the area occupied by one person in "Friendship 7", the area of ??"Discovery" can accommodate 64 people
Compared with the two, one has a single bed, One is a large suite in a five-star hotel
.
There are seven astronauts on the "Discovery" space shuttle. In terms of seniority and status, Green should be the first. According to the command chain, the commander-in-chief is Brown. (CURT BROW
N), Green ranked seventh, and his position was loader. In order to show respect for him, everyone wanted to call him Senator; but he refused. accept. He asked everyone to call him by his first name
"John" and treat him as the seventh-ranked loader. Under the command of the commander-in-chief, he must learn everything in the space shuttle. Brown's order was concise and sonorous:
"We go to space to work, not just to live."
Since the Soviet Union launched its first artificial satellite in 1957, in the past forty years, the entire space science has made amazing progress. Today, space shuttles and space stations traveling to and from Earth have become commonplace. There are more and more various artificial satellites operating in space.
Today, space science is no longer the patent of any country, but a common cause for all mankind and the entire earth. On July 17, 1975, the space stations of the United States and the Soviet Union met in space and flew together. On February 3, 1994, Russian astronauts boarded an American spacecraft and traveled into space with their American colleagues. On June 29, 1995, the space shuttles of the United States and Russia joined forces in space. Foreign astronauts often became guests of the American space shuttles. Many satellites are launched using China's "Long March" rockets.
Today, the goal of the development of space science is how to use space as a base to board larger, farther, and more mysterious planets beyond the earth. In this great cause of exploring the universe, human beings on the earth have become one family and view the world from the perspective of the universe. No one will think that "I am the best in the world" anymore. If one day "aliens
" meet people on earth, they don't care whether we are from the United States or China. In their eyes, we are all earthlings.
No matter how space and cosmic exploration develop in the future, the top priority of human beings living on the earth is still how to work together to solve the problems of the world. The specific purpose of Geling's second space expedition is to understand the impact of losing gravity on the body of the elderly. The results of this experiment, It will definitely be beneficial
to the research on human aging.
The spiritual inspiration that Gelling brought to people during his second conquest was his physical and
mentary age. His feat has made him a shining hero in the annals of history. He does not have to take risks to stand out again. It is his ageless body and mind that inspire him to return to space. Engaging in a scientific experiment that only he is capable of
is a selfless dedication and a revered "Green spirit".
As a peer of Greenland, 36 years ago when I was 42 years old, I
with enough energy and passion, I fought for him for the first time. Successfully, within three weeks
I wrote a special book reporting on this historical event. I still remember clearly that the flight of Green Mountain was on February 20, 1962. The publisher asked me to submit the manuscript in early June so that Chinese readers could get a copy as soon as possible. A special book that tells this great story. At that time, I was preparing to go to Washington in early May to participate in the 8th Sino-US Cultural Relations Roundtable and publish two academic papers. I was overwhelmed by everything and felt at a loss. This great historical event left such a deep impression on me. I don’t know how many thrilling scenes I have witnessed in front of TV. I don’t know how many thrilling scenes I have witnessed in newspapers and magazines. I have read
how many heart-wrenching reports! As a journalist who has changed his career to teaching but still has an old relationship, I feel that I still have the responsibility to report to Chinese readers.
Using the time when I went to Washington for a meeting, I began to collect information from the officials, and made a special trip to visit the Atlas rocket and the Friendship 7 space capsule.
. After several days of planning, I had a rough draft and started writing in one go. For three weeks
I never left home, and I only saw my family during meals, just like
an astronaut trapped in a space capsule. During the three weeks of confinement in the study, among the piles of books, newspapers and magazines, and under the tip of a pen, I also experienced all kinds of joys and sorrows that they experienced in heaven and earth. Naturally, this short writing process cannot be compared with their epoch-making great achievements. But when I finished writing the last word of the book, I put my pen and looked around. At that time, I discovered that what I had completed up to that time was the first book in the world to record this great event. Although this is not something to be complacent about,
but it finally fulfilled a wish.
Now, 36 years later, the news of Greenland’s second air conquest has revived my passion 36 years ago
I feel that I should report this great historical story to the motherland Compatriots from mainland China
. Today, the friendly cooperation between China and the United States has become the cornerstone of maintaining the prosperity and stability of the world and Asia
and will also be the leading partner in human space exploration. Greenland's success is The pride of the United States is also the pride of all mankind. Green's spirit is exactly what the Chinese say: "use the remaining heat" to serve the motherland and benefit mankind.
The little book dedicated to readers here is about me, an ordinary seventy-seven-year-old man
The experience of another extraordinary seventy-seven-year-old man. Forever
A touching story worth telling.