Four scientists "took a backdoor" and wanted 200 million yuan, but unexpectedly received more than 10 billion yuan, thus starting a decisive battle for China's destiny!

In March 1986, four scientists, Wang Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Yang Jiachi and Chen Fangyun, jointly submitted a letter entitled "Suggestions on Tracking and Researching the Development of Foreign Strategic High Technologies". Every word in the letter was from the bottom of their hearts:

"We must start now and follow the development of new technologies with the funds and manpower we can. We must know that the competition in today's world is very fierce. If we slack off, we will be unable to recover. If we don't catch up now, we will fall behind and cannot recover in the future... In the situation where the whole world is accelerating the development of new technologies, if we don't catch up quickly, the consequences will be disastrous."

Academician Wang Daheng is an optician, Academician Wang Ganchang is a nuclear physicist, Academician Yang Jiachi is an expert in aerospace technology and automatic control, and Academician Chen Fangyun is a radio electronics scientist. In the letter, the scientists expressed their concerns and suggested that the Party Central Committee should keep up with the world's advanced level and develop high technology in a timely manner. my country's economic and social development is facing a series of challenges, and it is necessary to improve its independent innovation capabilities and use high technology to lead future development.

So, what kind of technological development made people at that time feel so urgent?

A letter of advice, a sincere desire to serve the country

In March 1986, a letter entitled "Suggestions on Tracking and Studying the Development of Foreign Strategic High-tech" was delivered to Comrade Deng Xiaoping's desk. Every word in the letter was from the bottom of his heart:

"We must start now and follow the development of new technologies with the funds and manpower we can. We must know that the competition in today's world is very fierce. If we slack off, we will be unable to recover. If we don't catch up now, we will fall behind and cannot recover in the future... In the situation where the whole world is accelerating the development of new technologies, if we don't catch up quickly, the consequences will be disastrous."

The scientists' sincere desire to serve the country deeply moved him. After reading the letter, Comrade Deng Xiaoping immediately wrote a note: "This matter should be decided quickly and without delay."

Group photo of the four initiators of the "863 Project" (from left: Wang Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Yang Jiachi, Chen Fangyun)

The letter of suggestion was submitted by four scientists, Wang Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Yang Jiachi and Chen Fangyun. Academician Wang Daheng is an optician, Academician Wang Ganchang is a nuclear physicist, Academician Yang Jiachi is an expert in aerospace technology and automatic control, and Academician Chen Fangyun is a radio electronics scientist. In the letter, the scientists expressed their concerns and suggested that the Party Central Committee should keep up with the world's advanced level and develop high technology in a timely manner. my country's economic and social development is facing a series of challenges, and it is necessary to improve its independent innovation capabilities and use high technology to lead future development.

So, what kind of technological development made people at that time feel so urgent?

If we don’t do it now, it will be gone by next century!

At this time, the world was in the midst of the Cold War. In order to compete for global hegemony, the two major camps led by the United States and the Soviet Union invested manpower and material resources to vigorously develop science and technology. Especially since the 1970s, a series of new major breakthroughs have been brewing at the forefront of science and technology. In order to compete for high technology, the commanding heights of future international competition, many countries in the world have made the development of high technology one of the important strategies for national development. In 1983, the United States began to implement the "Star Wars" plan, Europe launched the "Eureka" plan, and Japan also formulated the "Science and Technology Revitalization Policy for the Next Ten Years", which set off a wave of high-tech development worldwide.

At this time, the Chinese science and technology community was still disturbingly silent. After all, China did not have the economic strength to fully develop high technology at that time. The United States' "Apollo Moon Landing Project" in the 1960s took 11 years and cost about 25 billion US dollars (some say nearly 50 billion), about 61.5 billion yuan, which was more than China's annual fiscal revenue at that time. Developing high technology was a huge challenge for China, whose economy was still relatively backward at that time.

However, under the impact of the competition and severe challenges of the new round of global high-tech revolution, it is inevitable and urgent to rise up. At the expert symposium organized by relevant national departments, science and technology experts rushed to express their opinions. Most people believed that countermeasures should be taken as soon as possible to meet the challenges of the world's new technological revolution.

"If we don't do it now, it will be gone by the next century, and we won't be able to keep up at all!" Wang Daheng, an optical expert who once served as the director of the Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was elected as one of the first academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955, was extremely anxious. Recalling his personal experience of the "two bombs and one satellite" project, the country independently and self-reliantly developed the "two bombs and one satellite" under extremely difficult circumstances, spending less than 1/20 of the money of the United States and the Soviet Union. He said: "We can spend less money and do bigger things! For high-tech things, 'a little' and 'nothing' are very different. This is a strategic issue. We can't be left behind! We must drive all other aspects by germinating a seed."

Wang Daheng's idea was supported by many knowledgeable people, including radio electronics scientist Chen Fangyun. So they agreed to write a proposal and submit it to the leaders of the Central Committee and the State Council, with Wang Daheng responsible for drafting the proposal. After discussing with Yang Jiachi of the Science and Technology Committee of the Ministry of Aerospace and Wang Ganchang, a senior scientist in the scientific community, the proposal was submitted.

After Comrade Deng Xiaoping approved the letter of proposal, all parties worked hard to implement it. From April to September 1986, the State Council organized more than 200 relevant experts to conduct investigations and demonstrations, and then formulated the "Outline of the National High-tech Research and Development Program", which was approved for implementation by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee.

The implementation period of the plan is set at 15 years, with a total investment of RMB 10 billion. Priority will be given to the development of seven fields, including biotechnology, aerospace technology, laser technology, automation technology, information technology, energy technology, and new material technology, and these will be implemented in 15 specific thematic projects.

To commemorate the origin of the "Outline" in March 1986, the plan was later named the "863 Plan".

China's Beidou, the world's Beidou

On July 31, 2020, the completion and opening ceremony of the BeiDou-3 global satellite navigation system was held in Beijing. General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the ceremony and announced the official opening of the BeiDou-3 global satellite navigation system. This marks that my country has built an independent, open and compatible global satellite navigation system. China's BeiDou has since stepped onto the stage of serving the world and benefiting mankind.

An important foundation for this achievement is the "Dual Star Positioning Theory" proposed by Academician Chen Fangyun, one of the advocates of the "863 Plan".

At that time, the US GPS and Russia's GLONASS each launched more than 20 satellites and had completed global networking. The satellite navigation system was used in actual combat for the first time in the Gulf War. Under the guidance of the GPS system, the small and lightweight receivers equipped showed good positioning functions, which greatly helped the US military gain the initiative on the battlefield. Therefore, building an independent satellite navigation system has a very special strategic significance for improving a country's international status, promoting national economic development, ensuring economic and social security, and maintaining national defense security.

Chen Fangyun

Chen Fangyun proposed and presided over the development of the dual-satellite positioning system, which was successfully demonstrated in 1989. It was the first time in the world that two satellites were used to quickly locate ground targets and integrate communications and television. At this point, the Beidou system took shape.

In 1994, the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission officially launched the BeiDou-1 project for experimental exploration. In 2000, my country successfully launched two BeiDou-1 satellites, turning dual-satellite active positioning from theory into reality. The BeiDou-1 system used my country's existing mature technology at the time, with minimal investment and the shortest period, to achieve independent control of satellite navigation system construction. China became the third country in the world to have a satellite navigation system after the United States and Russia.

On October 31, 2000, the first BeiDou-1 satellite was launched into space.

After eight years of construction, the BeiDou-2 system was completed at the end of 2012 to provide regional services in the Asia-Pacific region. my country now has a fully independent high-performance satellite navigation system, fundamentally breaking away from its dependence on foreign satellite navigation systems. After nine years of construction, the BeiDou-3 basic system was completed at the end of 2018 to provide global services. The BeiDou-3 system has made breakthroughs in more than 100 key technologies, driving the overall leap forward in my country's aerospace capabilities.

Yang Jiachi

Another advocate of the "863 Plan", Yang Jiachi, also made great contributions to the development of the Beidou satellite navigation system. He took the lead in proposing suggestions on promoting the application of the Beidou satellite navigation system, and jointly proposed suggestions to the State Council with five academicians, which was highly valued by the State Council. This was also the last suggestion he made for our country at the last moment of his life. As he said in his memoir: "I hope that my country's aerospace technology can continue to occupy the high ground of science and technology, keep pace with the world's space powers in the field of aerospace in the middle of the 21st century, and make greater contributions to mankind."

China's BeiDou has gone from nothing to something, and from something to excellence, creating a Chinese miracle that has attracted worldwide attention. "China's BeiDou, the world's BeiDou, the first-class BeiDou", BeiDou is striding towards a better future.

The starting line of China's manned space program

The implementation of the "863 Plan" has put my country's manned space research back into the national key development plan. The field of aerospace technology is the second important high-tech field in the "863 Plan". One of the theme projects is large launch vehicles and earth-to-space transportation systems, which mainly focuses on the development of large launch vehicles that can launch small space stations and the research and development of earth-to-space transportation systems; the other is the space station system and its application theme, which mainly studies and develops a small-scale, advanced, modular space station system, and conducts space science and technology research to achieve manned space flight.

After the implementation of the "863 Plan", Wang Daheng, one of the initiators, has been paying close attention to every move in the field of high technology, especially aerospace technology. Whenever he hears about new progress in a project, he feels genuine joy. As for the development of key areas, he personally takes care of it despite his advanced age and gives careful guidance.

Wang Daheng in Beijing on February 11, 1992 (Photo source: Xinhuanet)

He not only served as the deputy leader of the manned space engineering review expert group, but also the main person in charge of the manned space application system demonstration and design stage review group. He strictly controlled the determination of tasks and technical solutions. Regarding the development of advanced space optical systems, an important task for aerospace applications, when faced with a series of problems such as the weight of aerospace cameras, the resolution of shooting, and the safety of manned spacecraft, he listened to opinions from all sides, stood at a high level, focused on the long-term significance and application prospects, and spoke out loudly, thus promoting the application of aspheric space optical systems in aerospace technology.

As a result, my country's manned space program adopted new technologies and methods, developed the lightest and highest quality advanced space optical system at that time, and successfully completed the space flight mission. His method also actually promoted the long-term development of a series of processes such as aspheric design, processing, testing, and assembly, laying a solid foundation for my country's manned space program to achieve a "qualitative breakthrough".

In September 1992, the central government decided to implement the manned space program and determined the "three-step" development strategy for my country's manned space program. The first step was to launch a manned spacecraft, build a preliminary supporting experimental manned spacecraft project, and carry out space application experiments; the second step was to break through the technology of astronaut extravehicular activities and spacecraft rendezvous and docking technology, launch a space laboratory, and solve the problem of space applications with a certain scale and short-term manned care; the third step was to build a space station to solve the problem of space applications with a large scale and long-term manned care. China's manned space program thus embarked on a new journey.

In 1999, Shenzhou-1 was successfully launched, achieving a major breakthrough in the round-trip between the earth and the sky. In the following three years, my country successively launched the Shenzhou-2, -3 and -4 unmanned spacecraft, all of which laid a solid foundation for manned flight.

Shenzhou-1 ignites and launches

On October 15, 2003, the vast space welcomed its first Chinese guest. Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei boarded the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft and returned safely to the ground after 14 laps in space, realizing the Chinese nation's thousand-year dream of flying into space.

Yang Liwei displays the Chinese and UN flags in space

In 2005, the Shenzhou VI spacecraft, carrying two astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, successfully completed a "multi-person, multi-day" sky survey, successfully achieving the first step of the project's mission objectives.

Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng working in the return capsule

In 2008, three astronauts, Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, flew into space on the Shenzhou VII spacecraft. Zhai Zhigang took the first step for a Chinese to walk in space, making my country the third country in the world to independently master the key technologies for space extravehicular activities.

Shenzhou VII astronaut Zhai Zhigang completed my country's first space extravehicular activity

In 2011, my country's first target spacecraft, Tiangong-1, was successfully launched. Subsequently, the Shenzhou-8 unmanned spacecraft entered space and achieved the first space rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-1.

Shenzhou 8 rendezvouses and docks with Tiangong 1

In 2012, Shenzhou 9 sent astronauts Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang, and China's first female astronaut Liu Yang into space, and conducted the first manned rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-1, marking the first time astronauts entered Tiangong-1.

Shenzhou-9 rendezvouses and docks with Tiangong-1

In 2013, Tiangong-1 successfully docked with the Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft again. Astronaut Wang Yaping gave China's first space lesson, sowing the seeds of science and dreams for young people.

Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft missions

In 2016, my country's first space laboratory, Tiangong-2, and the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft were launched successively. Astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong lived in space for 33 days, completed a series of space science experiments and technical tests, and achieved the goal of astronauts' mid-term stay.

Tiangong-2 successfully launched

In 2017, my country's first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, successfully rendezvoused and docked with Tiangong-2, verifying the cargo transportation and propellant in-orbit replenishment technologies. These breakthroughs in key technologies have provided the basic conditions for my country's space station construction.

Tianzhou-1 rendezvouses and docks with Tiangong-2

In 2020, the Long March 5B carrier rocket successfully completed its first flight, marking the beginning of my country's space station phase flight mission.

Long March 5B Yao-1 carrier rocket successfully launched

On April 29, 2021, the launch mission of the Tianhe core module of the space station was a complete success, and the in-orbit assembly and construction of the Chinese space station was fully launched.

The core module of the space station Tianhe was successfully launched

On May 29, 2021, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft was successfully launched. This was the first application flight of the space station cargo transportation system consisting of the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft and the Long March 7 carrier rocket.

Tianzhou-2 successfully launched

On June 17, 2021, the Shenzhou XII manned spacecraft was successfully launched and achieved autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking with the Tianhe core module. Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo successively entered the Tianhe core module, marking the first time that Chinese people have entered their own space station.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo working in the Tianhe core module

The "863 Project" is the starting line of China's manned space program. After decades of difficult and glorious entrepreneurial journey, my country's manned space program has achieved brilliant achievements. Once upon a time, there was no seat for China in the club of space powers, but generations of Chinese space workers relied on the spirit of "not admitting defeat", held on to the green mountains and did not relax, worked hard, did not fear difficulties, did not get discouraged, opened roads when encountering mountains, and built bridges when encountering water. From nothing to something, from small to big, from weak to strong, decades of facing difficulties and striving day by day have enabled my country to steadily enter the ranks of space powers.

Young scientists will continue to move forward

The "863" program carries the passion and dreams of several generations of Chinese scientists, and has also made the once glorious ancient China finally gain attention and glory in the world's science and technology field in the 21st century. At the same time, the "863" program has pushed many young scientific and technological talents to the forefront of science and technology, and a large number of scientific and technological talents trained in this way have become the backbone of China's science and technology to continue to move forward.

At the beginning of 2015, the Ministry of Science and Technology issued the "Plan on Deepening the Reform of Management of Central Finance Science and Technology Plans (Special Projects, Funds, etc.)". On February 16, 2016, the first batch of key R&D project guidelines for the National Key R&D Program were released, marking the official launch of the National Key R&D Program that integrates multiple science and technology plans. This also means that the "863" program will be phased out. Although the plan is phased out, the spirit will live on forever, and the younger generation of scientists will continue to move forward. Look, the lights that are lit in the institute are groups of young researchers who are racing against time to conduct new research...

Source: Communist Youth League Central Committee (ID:gqtzy2014)