Chapter 1253: Capture the satellite! (Ask for a monthly ticket)
March 5, 2006.
12:30 Beijing time.
About two hours after the anti-satellite interception test ended.
National Space Administration.
When Chang Haonan, who was forced to end his marriage leave early, rushed here in a special car, a group of leaders and professional and technical personnel at all levels were already sitting inside.
And there are many more on the way.
What happened today is really special.
Seriously, it doesn’t seem to be directly related to China.
But if it is not serious, then if the International Space Station is really hit after a while, it will definitely be a major event that will leave a mark in human history...
So much so that after the chief received the news, he was even a little unsure about which departments he should find for the meeting.
In the end, considering that the matter was related to the International Space Station, we focused on the National Space Administration.
The Air Force, Second Artillery Force, Aerospace Science and Industry, Aerospace Science and Technology and other units that can be even remotely related have sent representatives or delegations to participate
Almost full There is a conference room that can accommodate hundreds of people.
It would be inconvenient for big leaders to come to such an open occasion in person.
However, we still participated in the meeting via video so that we could make effective decisions as soon as possible.
Chang Haonan arrived not too late. Director Sun Yanlai of the Space Administration was explaining the current situation to everyone on the stage.
"Now the European Space Agency, the Russian Federal Space Agency, and of course our own measurement and control station, have completed the orbit tracking of the solar cell sail panel. It is currently named 40396/2006 -037CQ, size 1 200mm*4800mm*25mm, about two hours ago, it just passed the International Space Station at a speed of 13.27km per second, and the closest distance was about 2.1km..."
The entire conference room was suddenly in an uproar.
It is not difficult to see from the number just now that humans are currently tracking about 40,000 pieces of space junk, of which about 87% are so-called "large" junk. The threshold is only a size larger than that in any direction. Only 10cm.
You just built something that is 1.2 meters wide and 4.8 meters long, which is larger than many medium-sized satellites?
"Is the International Space Station dangerous?"
Someone soon asked.
“According to current calculations, at least not in a short period of time.”
Sun Yanlai replied:
"But No. 40396 is not only very large in size, but is also in the process of high-speed and irregular tumbling. Due to the limitations of observation methods, it is currently impossible to determine its specific attitude changes."
"And there are no obstacles in space. It is not true that there is no resistance, cosmic dust, atmospheric molecules, gravitational changes, and other The collision of its space debris... these will cause changes in the orbit of 40396. Unless the International Space Station can permanently increase its orbital altitude by 30-50 kilometers, it may continue to be threatened by collisions. "
For a long time after that, no one asked any more questions.
Tricky.
Too tricky.
The last time humans dealt with "space junk" of such a large size was probably Salyut 7.
But the latter was just out of control and lost contact. The basic functions were still there, and even the interface was intact, so in the end two Slavic superhuman astronauts who were skilled in art and bold were sent to perform non-cooperative operations. The docking was finally repaired.
However, this No. 40396 is a lonely solar panel, still operating at the busiest and most sensitive altitude of about 400 kilometers. For a while, no one could even think of how to deal with it.
It’s impossible to let the Americans play Standard 3 again, right?
Technically, the infrared characteristics of this panel are very poor and irregular, and the LEAP seeker may not be able to identify the target.
And politically, it is impossible for any country, including the United States, to allow it.
“What did NASA say?”
Although the situation is very serious, the person who asked this question still had some schadenfreude in his tone.
No way, it’s human nature.
Although it is true that spaceflight is a great cause that mankind strives for together, there are no Chinese astronauts on the space station, not to mention that you, America, were not human and had to not allow us to join.
You see, it’s not that I won’t retaliate, it’s that the time has not yet come.
However, as the head of the space agency, Sun Yanlai still maintained basic dignity:
“NASA has not publicly responded to this... In fact, including ESA and Roscosmos, Internally, this news has not been disclosed to the outside world yet, so they are probably considering "If you want to raise the orbit of the International Space Station by 50km, the power of one or even two Alliance spacecraft will not be enough."
Zhou Pingjian was already at a loss. While studying Tiangong-1, I know these details very well:
"In addition, if it is really upgraded, all subsequent related space programs, including the various equipment carried on it, will also have to be adjusted. The workload is almost equivalent to abandoning the existing International Space Station and starting from scratch..."
" ..."
Subsequently, several comrades from the space agency and the Aerospace Science and Technology Group expressed various technical views.
In short, although the probability of collision is low, once there is a real risk, it will be difficult to avoid it.
But it is obvious that today’s meeting is definitely not to discuss technology.
Otherwise, the chief executive would not have to attend the meeting through the screen and would just take a look at the meeting minutes and be done.
Therefore, Li Zhongyi spoke quickly and brought back the topic that had gone astray:
“This may be the biggest accident in the history of human spaceflight so far... Although it seems to be the same as We have nothing to do with it, but shouldn’t we do something?”
Sun Yanlai, who had already sat down again, said first:
"The space agency has prepared press conferences and media releases, preparing to criticize the United States' reckless anti-satellite interception from three angles and a total of nine aspects. In particular, it must be emphasized that our country has forewarned The United States has been aware of the relevant risks and issued warnings, but the United States still insists on going its own way, ultimately causing huge risks that are irreversible.”
"In addition, we are planning to produce a special program called "The Death of American Spaceflight". Of course, considering the international impact, we are only planning to produce a Chinese version for domestic broadcast."
It is a satisfactory feedback.
In addition to exporting evil spirits, it can also prove to the world China's strong strength in aerospace theory.
“I always feel like I’m missing a little initiative...”
Someone said what Chang Haonan was thinking.
"We don't have a share of the International Space Station. Even if we want compensation, the Russians will come forward. We really have nothing to say..."
"Our country's space station must also be set up at a similar height. What if we file a claim for this reason?"
"Then it's not over. Every country produces a lot of space junk. It's not easy to get started..."
"..."
Everyone Various ideas come and go, and no consensus can be reached at all.
Seeing that the heat was almost done, Chang Haonan, who had been acting like a transparent person just now, finally raised his hand.
His name is now considered a household name in the industry.
So everyone showed enough respect and calmed down.
"I think our country can be considered to take part in disposing of this piece of space junk No. 40396."
Chang Haonan's expression was as usual, but his words were like thunder on the ground.
The reaction was even greater than when Sun Yan came to introduce the situation just now.
"Shall we deal with it?"
Even Li Zhongyi was shocked.
Of course he knew what Chang Haonan meant:
“But... although we also have certain anti-satellite technology, we have never tested it before, and the current level is not complete. Such hit accuracy is not supported? ”
"Besides, the Americans have just caused such a serious problem..."
Just when he hesitated to organize his words, the latter did not let him speak again:
"Directly Ascending anti-satellite technology, we really cannot hit a solar cell of such a small size at this stage. Board... Even if it is done, there is no guarantee that it will solve the problems faced by the International Space Station."
"But what if I say, I am going to capture it?"
At this point, Before anyone else could react, he looked at Zhou Pingjian, who was sitting not far away:
"Commander Zhou, if you launch a spacecraft in orbit and then use rendezvous and docking technology similar to that of the space station, you should be able to determine the orbit accuracy within the scale of 1.5 meters * 4.5 meters, right?"
< br>(End of this chapter)