3, 2, 1, We Have Liftoff!

Table Of Contents

Page 1 - Table Of Contents

Page 2 - Author’s Note

Page 3 - Family Tree

Page 4 - Narrative

Page 7 - Interview

Page 8 - Bibliography Page 7 -Reflection

Author’s Note

The launch of the DongFangHong1 catapulted China into a major international space player. It was

the fifth country to launch into space after the Soviet Union, the U.S., France, and Japan. The interview was conducted with my grandfather, who was the chief deputy researcher. He was called in as the only civilian consultant for the project. He started working on the space program with a space exploring rocket in 1962, then moved to the DongFangHong1 in 1965. He was 27 years old at the time. In total, he worked on 4 spaceships, Shenzhou 1,5,6, and 7. Officially he retired in 1999, but was called back repeatedly as a consultant until 2011. He worked

with the space program from the development of the first satellite to the development of the first-manned spaceships.

My grandfather is the one farthest to the right. This was taken during a convention honoring people important to China’s space program development.

Family Tree

This is my family tree going up to my grandparents on both sides. The subject of my narrative, is on my mom’s side. His name is Shixiang Chen.

3,  2,  1,  We  Have  Lift  Off!

I  couldn’t  believe  the  words  coming  out  of  the  

government  of6icial’s  mouth.  He  was  announcing  that  

we  were  cleared  to  start  the  launch  of  the  Dong  Fang  

Hong  1,  China’s  6irst  satellite.  Finally,  after  6ive  years  of  

relentless  research  and  grueling  work,  we  were  

permitted  to  ship  out.  Throughout  the  entire  project,  

we  were  under  absolute  secrecy.  An  unsmiling  

government  of6icial  had  informed  me  that  I  wasn’t  to  

breathe  a  word,  to  family  members  or  friends.  

Although  there  were  downsides,  I  was  still  

extremely  proud  to  serve  my  country.  I  was  working  

with  the  most  renowned  scientists  in  all  of  China.  

Many  of  them  had  foreign  degrees,  from  the  top  

colleges  of  the  U.S.  or  Canada.  As  a  6irst  generation  

researcher,  I  was  starting  from  scratch.    

The  6inal  assessment  meeting  for  the  satellites  was  

some  time  in  early  1970.    We  were  to  be  reviewed  by  

one  of  the  of6icials  of  the  government  that  was  sent  to  

determine  whether  or  not  we  could  ship  the  satellite  

out  of  the  factory.  

I  vaguely  remember  shaking  hands  with  the  

of6icial  and  taking  him  on  a  tour  of  our  facilities.  The  

entire  affair  was  a  blur,  until  we  arrived  at  the  meeting  

area,  where  he  was  to  announce  the  results  of  our  

inspection.  The  of6icial  cleared  his  throat  and  

proclaimed,  to  our  relief,  that  it  was  safe  to  transport  

the  satellite.  Our  reaction  was  muted.  We  stood  there  

in  stunned  silence,  each  and  every  one  of  us  re6lecting  

on  all  the  hard  work  that  had  taken  us  to  this  point.  

The  chief  engineer  marched  up,  shook  hands  with  the  

of6icial,  and  led  him  out.  The  second  the  door  closed  

behind  him,  the  room  exploded  with  cheers  and  

clapping.  I  broke  out  some  wine  I  had  saved  for  the  

occasion,  and  toasted  our  success.  This  was  going  into  

the  pages  of  history.  

InterviewHistoric  event  that  affected  them:  Chief  Engineer  

of  the  DongFangHong  1Physical  description:  1.  68  ,  black  hairDate  of  Event:  September  1965  development  

started  March  1970  development  ended.Description  of  Event:  The  deputy  chief  engineer  of  

space  program  of  ChinaRepercussions  of  Event:  China  became  a  major  

player  in  space  affairs,  also  made  it  the  6ifth  country  to  launch  into  space.

How  long  did  it  last?  It  lasted  26  days  in  orbit.How  old  were  you  at  the  time?  27  years  oldWhat  role  did  you  play  in  this  event?  He  was  the  

deputy  chief  engineer  of  the  DongFangHong  1How  did  this  event  affect  you?  The  event  was  an  

important  milestone  for  China’s  aerospace  industry.What  personal  feelings  did  you  harbor  about  the  

event?  The  entire  thing  was  extremely  con6idential  and  secret.  No  one  could  tell  their  family  or  anybody  else  about  what  they  were  working  on.  He  felt  very  proud  to  be  allowed  to  participate  on  such  an  important  project.  

Was  there  a  particular  moment  that  you  remember  clearly  and  distinctly?  In  1970,  we  participated  on  the  6inal  assessment  meeting  before  the  satellites  ship  out  of  the  factory.  The  most  distinct  

moment  was  when  the  top  of6icial  announced  that  they  could  ship  the  satellites  out  of  the  factory.  

Who  was  with  you  at  the  time  of  the  event?  All  the  best  scientists  of  China

He  was  a  6irst  generation  researcher  for  China’s  space  program.  He  of6icially  retired  in  1999,  but  was  called  in  as  a  consultant  until  2011  

He  made  important  contributions  to  the  space  program  for  more  than  30  years.

He  was  working  with  many  of  the  best  scientists  of  China,  who  mostly  had  foreign  degrees.  

Stayed  with  the  space  program  since  the  beginning.  

He  participated  from  the  planning  of  the  6irst  spaceship  to  the  launch  of  the  manned  spaceship.

He  worked  on  a  total  of  four  spaceships,  Shenzhou  1,  5,  6,  7

Shenzhou  1  was  before  he  was  retired  so  it  was  start  to  6inish  he  was  the  chief  processing  engineer  for  the  Shenzhou  1  so  he  handled  the  assembly  process,  Shenzhou  5-­‐7  he  was  rehired  after  his  retirement  as  a  consultant.  

In  1956  he  went  to  the  Xi’an  Institute  of  Aeronautics  

In  1961  he  graduated  from  the  Northwestern  Industry  University,  majoring  in  aircraft  manufacturing.  

Then  he  entered  the  Institute  of  Mechanics,  Chinese  Academy  of  Sciences

In  1962  he  started  working  on  the  space  exploring  rocket

Then  it  continued  to  1965  when  he  started  work  on  the  DongFangHong  1

Until  he  retired,  he  worked  on  various  satellite  and  manned  spaceship  projects.  

After  he  retired  he  was  hired  as  a  technical  consultant  until  2011

Re6lection

What  specific  challenges  did  you  face  during  this  project?I  couldn’t  really  get  informa3on  easily  due  to  my  grandfather  being  in  Beijing.  Any3me  I  needed  to  ask  any  small  detail,  I  had  to  call  him  and  ask  him  the  ques3ons.  

What  did  you  learn  about  your  family  member?  (personality,  character…)He  was  extremely  important  to  the  government  and  was  very  proud  to  serve.  

What  did  you  learn  about  yourself  (as  a  learner,  as  a  family  member)?Some  of  my  family  members  were  very  important  and  successful  people.  

How  have  you  grown?  (as  a  writer…)I  learned  a  huge  amount  of  informa3on  about  China’s  space  program,  and  learned  how  to  use  it  sparingly  and  fit  it  easily  into  the  narra3ve.  

Why  do  you  think  doing  a  project  like  this  is  important?I  think  this  project  is  important  because  you  can  learn  about  any  family  history  and  expand  your  wri3ng  horizons.  

What  part  of  this  process  did  you  enjoy  most?  Why?I  enjoyed  the  researching  part  of  this  project  the  most.  It  was  very  informa3onal  and  helped  me  learn  new  things  while  also  helping  my  narra3ve.

What  part  of  this  process  did  you  least  enjoy?  Why?I  didn’t  like  adding  specific  parts  of  the  narra3ve  such  as  dialogue.  That  was  troublesome  to  add  aHer  I  had  finished  wri3ng  it.  

How  do  you  plan  to  share  this  project  with  your  family/  family  member?I  can’t  really  share  it  with  my  family  member  due  to  the  language  barrier.  My  grandfather  doesn’t  understand  English,  so  I  can’t  share  it  with  him.

Bibliography "China's First Man-made Satellite." China's First Man-made Satellite. China Daily, Nov.-Dec. 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. <http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_26079.htm>.

"China Successfully Launches Its First Man-Made Earth Satellite -- Beijing Review." China Successfully Launches Its First Man-Made Earth Satellite -- Beijing Review. N.p., Sept.-Oct. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bjreview.com.cn/special/2010-10/09/content_302644.htm>.

Long, Wei. "China Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of First Satellite Launch." China Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of First Satellite Launch. Space Daily, 25 Apr. 2000. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. <http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-00u.html>.