The slogan of the 500-meter spherical radio telescope is

He once wrote a poem for himself: "The beautiful universe and space, with its mystery and magnificence, call us to cross mediocrity and enter its boundless vastness."

Nan Ren Dong dedicated the most precious 20 years of his life to Eye of the Sky. From the site selection, project establishment and feasibility study of FAST, to the guidance of key technology research and model test, his invention is of epoch-making significance and was rated as a people's scientist. What legends did he have when he built the Eye of the Sky? What difficulties will you encounter?

brief introduction

Mr. Nan, born in1February 1945, was born in Liaoyuan City, Jilin Province. He is a famous astronomer in China and a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory. In 20 17, he was selected as a candidate of China Academy of Sciences. On September 20 17 19, Nan Ren Dong was awarded the honorary title of "People's Scientist", which was also a great affirmation of his contribution to Nan Lao.

Mr. Nan Ren Dong is also the founder, chief scientist and chief engineer of China FAST, the largest radio telescope in the world.

By September 2007, Nanrendong had published 222 scientific papers, 7 monographs, 6 technical reports, 36 patents, 56 papers included in SCI, 65 papers included in EI, and nearly 900 papers cited by SC and BI. In addition, he also participated in many major scientific research projects.

(1) the college entrance examination champion

From 65438 to 0945, Nan was born in a small town in Longshan District, Liaoyuan City, Jilin Province. He once studied in Zhongxing Primary School, No.4 Middle School and No.5 Middle School in Liaoyuan City, with excellent results, and was commended by the school for many times.

From 65438 to 0963, South Ren Dong won the "Top Scholar in Science in Jilin Province" with an average score of 98.6 (full mark 100) and became a student majoring in radio in Tsinghua University.

(2) there is a chance

1993, at the international radio science union conference held in Japan, scientists proposed to build a new generation of radio telescopes to receive more information from outer space, and planned to develop radio astronomy in 10 and 20 years.

Nan Ren Dong turned to his colleague and said, "Let's build one, too." At that time, the diameter of the largest radio telescope in China was less than 30 meters. Therefore, China needs to use foreign radio telescopes to carry out research, which costs a lot and takes a short time. This is also an opportunity to start the 500-meter spherical radio telescope (FAST) project.

(3) Prepare to return to China.

Some people say that it will soon become South Ren Dong. But in fact, Nan Ren Dong was a famous astronomer long before FAST. When Nan was young, he was invited to visit famous observatories in Holland, Soviet Union and other countries.

Nan Ren Dong was a visiting professor at the Japanese National Astronomical Observatory at that time, and he had world-class scientific research conditions and treatment. 1994, one day's salary is equal to one year's salary in China, but he said, "I must go back to China."

Because foreign advanced scientific research equipment and generous living conditions never excited South Ren Dong, after witnessing the advanced technology of other countries, he strengthened his belief in building China people's own super telescope.

His outstanding achievements over the years have been praised and recognized by international peers. In 2006, he was elected president of the Radio Astronomy Division of the International Astronomical Union.

From 65438 to 0994, Nan began to take charge of the promotion of the international large radio telescope project in China. The construction of spherical radio telescope is difficult, the key technology has no precedent to follow, the key materials need to be tackled urgently, and the core technology is blocked.

Since then, he has never stopped when he is nearly 50 years old. Because site selection, demonstration, project establishment and construction are not easy.

(1) There is no precedent to follow.

Internationally, the aperture breakthrough 100 meter of radio telescope built of steel structure is the engineering limit. If you want to build a telescope with a larger aperture, you must choose a big and round pit and rely on the terrain to realize it. When Nan learned that there were unique geographical conditions for building a "500-meter spherical radio telescope (FAST)" in the deep mountains in the southwest border.

With more than 300 remote sensing images of Zhang Weixing, he couldn't wait to board the green leather train from Beijing to Guizhou. It took him nearly 50 hours to run a round trip. It lasted 12 years.

For more than ten years, he has searched hundreds of caves in Guizhou mountainous areas and visited rocky karst mountainous areas. For more than ten years, he has been helped by many cadres and farmers. He often wears a pair of shorts and hangs a firewood knife on his ass like a farmer. Because there are roads in some places, we can only walk through the cracks of stones one foot deep and one foot shallow.

Nie Yuanping had a profound experience that South Ren Dong, who had just returned to China for the first time, wore this fashionable suit and tie.

South Ren Dong has become a migrant worker, giving the impression that he doesn't look like the chief designer of Tianyan at all.

⑵ Fall down

1995, he insisted on investigating in his nest, and suddenly it began to rain cats and dogs. He once witnessed the debris flow in his nest, and the mountain torrents were wrapped in sand and gravel, and even people and trees could be washed away together. He accidentally fell down on the way to climb the mountain. But he doesn't care at all. He thinks this is a very common thing in site selection. Nan Ren Dong put a heart-saving pill in his mouth and climbed back to the mountain pass.

After more than ten years, considering the scale, electromagnetic wave environment, ecological environment, engineering geological environment and other factors, the most suitable Dawodang was finally selected from 39 1 alternative depressions.

1995165438+10. In October, with Beijing Observatory as the main body, more than 20 universities and scientific research institutions in the United Nations set up the "Large Radio Telescope" China Promotion Committee, with Mr. Nan as the main person in charge.

As the director of the China Promotion Committee of the "Large Radio Telescope", he is not only responsible for establishing the project, organizing research and implementation, but also proposing scientific strategies and determining the priority observation plan. He is bent on making "Eye of the Sky" completed and put into use as soon as possible.

After the project started, thousands of workers entered the site at the same time, and Nan worked with the workers. His students said that Nan Rendong, who gave a speech in the mountains, could not tell which one was Nan Rendong among the farmers. Nan Rendong on the construction site can't tell who is Nan Rendong among the workers.

(1) When it comes to scientific research, Antarctica is serious and rigorous.

South Ren Dong is extremely serious and rigorous about scientific research. South Ren Dong always said, "Do a good job and don't be sorry for the country and people." No link in Eye of the Sky can fool him, and no flaw can fool him.

At the beginning of the project, a water cellar was to be built, and the construction party sent the design drawings. He quickly marked several mistakes and typed them back. The construction party was very surprised: how can this astronomer understand civil engineering?

Many workers remember that even in hot summer, in order to measure the error of the project personally, Nan Ren Dong always left his job and ran to the construction site. How many times in the brightly lit night, I carefully examined the calculation, immersed myself in research and patiently communicated.

⑵ Innovation

The inherent nature of celestial radio waves is a difficult problem in radio astronomical observation. Radio waves of celestial bodies are parallel. When the reflecting surface is spherical, radio waves will converge into a line. Only when the reflecting surface is a paraboloid can it converge to a point and enter the receiver. In order to overcome this problem, Nan Ren Dong led engineers to come up with a wonderful design, that is, active deformable reflector, which can convert spherical reflector into paraboloid in real time.

This design is unique in the world. By controlling the complex cable net structure composed of nearly 10,000 steel cables, FAST system can flexibly control the reflecting surface composed of 4,450 independent panels, aim at celestial targets, and then drag the feed cabin weighing 30 tons through six steel cables to reach the focus position, and receive the radio waves emitted by celestial bodies in real time.

When he first saw FAST, Richard Skilly, former director-general of SKA International, said that the first word he could think of was "shocking": "This is a shocking design concept."

With his persistence and diligence, Nan Ren Dong led a group of people with the same scientific dream to turn this incredible idea into reality step by step.

FAST involves many professional fields, and experts in each field have put forward different opinions. As the chief scientist and chief engineer, Nan Ren Dong must make a decision. We must know what to do in order to make the right decision.

(1) the vast field.

In 2007, FAST was finally formally established, and South Ren Dong worked harder. The FAST project is far more difficult than expected, and there is no precedent for key technologies. Moreover, engineering involves astronomy, mechanics, mechanical engineering, electronics, surveying and even geotechnical engineering. From paper design to construction and operation, there is a distance of 108,000 miles.

Nan Ren Dong told his old colleague Skok many times before his death that the FAST project was not well done and he could not explain it to the country, so he dared not ignore it. Therefore, South Ren Dong wears the same clothes as the construction workers and keeps running around to check all the details of the project. With a serious expression and a hoarse voice, he kept making suggestions and finding faults with the construction unit.

In the process of on-site investigation, in order to know the situation more clearly, master the first-hand information and work out the correct treatment plan for dangerous rocks, 65-year-old Nan Ren Dong climbed a mountain with young people in a mountainous area without roads. When going to the steep mountain top, everyone suggested that he wait at the foot of the mountain and report to him after reading the results, but he insisted, "I want to go up with you to see the actual situation."

(2) The project budget is needed.

In addition to the difficulty in site selection, the financial problem is an important reason that hinders the progress of the project.

Over the years, Nan Ren Dong became a "salesman" and he began to lobby everywhere. In order to gain more people's support, South Ren Dong talks about large-scale radio projects to everyone at home and abroad at various conferences. He explained every innovative concept of FAST to different people with passion and annoyance.

He paid for himself, from northeast to southeast to northwest, and contacted more than 20 universities and research institutes across the country to participate. Some people say that FAST represents the long March of science and technology in China and the long March of life in South China.

(3) The cable net experiment failed, and it could not work normally.

In 20 10, FAST experienced a near catastrophic risk-cable net fatigue. After the fatigue test, the steel cables purchased at that time could not bear the weight and would be deformed, and none of them could meet the requirements of FAST.

Therefore, the structural form of FAST reflector has been delayed. Nan Rendong finds it difficult to sleep and communicate with technicians every day. After nearly a hundred failures, he finally led the team to develop a cable structure that meets the requirements.

(3) reflector

The reflector has become a perforated structure, which is convenient for rain and sunlight to flow in. The weight of the reflector has changed from 2,300 tons to 65,438+0,300 tons, and the eye of the sky is integrated with nature.

South's scientific goal analysis, create a breakthrough opportunity. The design of the unique shape of the Eye of the Sky verifies China's words, "Crossing Grain Rain, the Eye of China, looking up at the sky, the stars move." .

For more than 8,000 days and nights, FAST is like a child brought up from the south. As the chief scientist, South Ren Dong led and participated in every engineering problem of FAST project, and led FAST through crisis after crisis.

2065438+On September 25th, 2006, the world's largest single-caliber radio telescope with the highest sensitivity with independent intellectual property rights in China was built and put into use in karst potholes in Pingtang County, Guizhou Province. Its birth represents another big step forward for China in the overseas field.

(1) Hard conditions

During the 22 years from pre-research to completion, three generations of scientific and technological workers in China overcame unimaginable difficulties. Nan Ren Dong and his colleagues didn't flinch. They drink natural mixed water and eat their own cold dry food. In winter, it was too cold to stand, so they picked up some firewood and huddled together to keep warm.

20 16 Before the 500-meter spherical radio telescope (FAST) was built and put into use, he lived in a color steel room with everyone and lived extremely frugally. There are four people in each room, the bathroom is common, and there is a big pot of rice in the canteen. He feels that he is a deep-rooted worker, and he often says that he is an old tactical worker.

Got lung cancer.

FAST is a challenging, impactful and transcendental project, and Nanrendong is under great pressure. The burden of long-term exhaustion made him break down from constant overwork. On September 20 16, I got lung cancer. During the operation, he injured his vocal cords. But he always insisted on participating in the construction of the Eye of the Sky, because he felt that time was fleeting.

South Ren Dong always doesn't want others to take care of him. After his illness, he still kept on working. Although he was not suitable for traveling by boat, he insisted on flying from Beijing to Guizhou and witnessed the completion of his 22-year-old science project. When Nan Ren Dong died, he left a last wish. The funeral was simple and there was no memorial service.

3 indifferent to fame and fortune

Over the years, the FAST project has become a world-famous super-large project, and its innovative technology has been recognized by all parties and won various awards. However, South Ren Dong's personal honors are only "CCTV20 16 Science and Technology Innovation Person", "20 16 China Science News Person" and "20 17 National Innovation First Prize".

He is indifferent to fame and fortune, but he is very concerned about the workers at the scene and the children in poor areas. He used to buy sportswear for workers from Yunnan, and often brought some melons and fruits with the workers. Every time after dinner, he would sit in the worker's shed. He has an excellent memory and knows almost every worker's name, job type and income, as well as some trivial matters at home.

He saw the hardships of local people's life and understood that it was not easy for local children to go to school, so he donated more than ten children to go to school. Today, there are still funded students writing to him.

At present, the FAST project is still under intense debugging. Up to now, the 500-meter spherical radio telescope (FAST) has found 102 pulsars, the number of which has exceeded the sum of many countries. 92 of them are new pulsars.

The leaves have something to say.

On September 6th, 20 17, Mr. Nan, a famous astronomer in China and the "father of the Eye of the Sky", died of illness at the age of 72. In the past 23 years, Nan Ren Dong has gone from prime to old age, turning a simple idea into a national weapon. Nan's scientific goal analysis has created a breakthrough opportunity. The design of the unique shape of the Eye of the Sky verifies China's words, "Crossing Grain Rain, the Eye of China, looking up at the sky, the stars move." .

It makes China's unique project in the world-the 500-meter spherical radio telescope FAST, which people used to call "the 500-meter spherical radio telescope".

"Eye of the Sky" can receive electromagnetic signals 65.438+037 billion light years away, and its observation range can reach the edge of the universe. With this "eye of the sky", scientists can spy on the information of interplanetary interaction, observe dark matter, determine the quality of black holes, and even search for possible extraterrestrial civilizations. As the largest single aperture telescope in the world, FAST is expected to maintain its position as a world-class equipment in the next 10 to 20 years.