Live Stream 1980: Netizens Teach Me How to Make a Rocket by Hand

……

Lunchtime at the base's second canteen.

Today's meal is braised pork with cabbage and vermicelli, plus steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water.

After getting his meal, Lu Guoliang didn't go to the front row of the cadres' table. Instead, he took Lin Xi, carrying aluminum lunch boxes, and went straight to the table in the corner of the workshop where several newcomers were sitting.

Xiao Peng was silently eating his rice, his eyes still a little red.

The apprentices at the same table comforted him in hushed tones, their words also subtly complaining about Lao Lei's bad temper.

When they saw Chief Engineer Lu and Lin Xi sit down, the young people were startled and quickly stood up with their lunchboxes.

"Sit down and eat your food."

Lu Guoliang waved his hand and picked up a piece of cabbage with his chopsticks.

Xiao Peng sat down awkwardly, keeping his head down and not daring to look at Lu Guoliang.

Lu Guoliang ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, then looked past the crowd and landed on Lao Lei, who was sitting alone in a corner eating in the distance.

Old Lei ate very slowly, and his movements were somewhat stiff.

"Xiao Peng, are you still feeling wronged?"

Lu Guoliang swallowed his food, his voice calm.

Xiao Peng hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Mr. Lu, I know I was wrong."

"But wasn't it too humiliating for Master to twist my ear in front of so many people?"

"I really didn't use any force, the tube wasn't strong enough..."

Lu Guoliang put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.

"Did you notice Old Lei's voice?"

Lu Guoliang suddenly changed the subject.

"Also, in the sweltering summer heat, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in the workshop, why does he always wear that long-sleeved work uniform?"

"Button up the collar and button up the cuffs."

Xiao Peng was stunned.

The other apprentices also stopped eating.

They had only been working at the factory for a short time and only thought that the foreman had a strange temper and a hoarse voice, without ever thinking too deeply about the reasons.

Lin Xi sat beside him, vaguely guessing what was going on.

On the aerospace front during that era, any abnormal physiological characteristic was often accompanied by a tragic past.

Seven years ago.

Lu Guoliang looked at Lei Jianguo in the distance, his voice becoming low and desolate.

"We are testing older engine models at the Northwest test stand."

"It's a room-temperature fuel engine that uses unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide as propellants."

As he said this, he glanced at a few young people.

"You all know about this fuel."

"Highly toxic, highly corrosive, and carcinogenic."

"Even inhaling a little bit could be fatal."

No one spoke at the dinner table.

Only from the distant food serving window could one hear the sound of rice scoops hitting the edge of the pot.

"During assembly, the person responsible for sealing the fuel lines was Lao Lei's first apprentice."

"Call him Xiao Gao."

"Back then, I was only two years older than you are now."

Lu Guoliang's gaze returned to Xiao Peng's face.

"That young man is very efficient and quick-witted."

"But when tightening a sealing flange gasket, the deviation was less than half a millimeter."

Xiao Peng looked up, his expression changing.

"Just that half-millimeter gap."

"During the pressure test, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine was sprayed out."

A flicker of pain crossed Lu Guoliang's eyes.

"Reddish-brown smoke mixed with pungent toxic fumes instantly covered the work surface."

"If the main valve isn't shut off, the entire workshop will experience a chain reaction of explosions."

The air around the dining table felt as if it had been gripped tightly.

The young people even held their breath.

"The gas mask was in a cabinet more than ten meters away at the time."

"Xiao Gao is closest to the main valve."

"He knew he had made a mistake, so he didn't even bother to get the mask."

"He held his breath and rushed into the gas cloud, desperately trying to turn on the rusty valve."

"After he completely shut off the valve, he fell off the platform."

Xiao Peng listened blankly, not even noticing his chopsticks fall onto the table.

"Old Lei was the squad leader back then."

"He rushed in like a madman to snatch the person."

Lu Guoliang's voice was also a little hoarse.

"Those propellants are highly corrosive."

"When Lao Lei dragged Xiao Gao out, some of his clothes had been burned away by the poison gas and stuck to his flesh."

"Xiao Gao's lungs were completely burned through, and he couldn't be saved. He didn't even leave a last word."

"Old Lei lay in the hospital ward for three months."

"My vocal cords were burned by poison gas, and I'll only be able to speak with that hoarse voice for the rest of my life."

"Nearly 30 percent of his body was burned by chemicals, especially his arms, back and neck."

Lu Guoliang pointed to Lei Jianguo in the distance:

"He wears long sleeves and buttons up his collar in the middle of summer, not because he's not afraid of the heat."

"It's because his arms and neck are covered in scars."

"He's afraid that if he takes off his clothes, he'll scare you young people."

Xiao Peng bit her lip tightly, and tears welled up in her eyes.

He pictured Lao Lei's calloused, somewhat stiff hands in his mind.

It turns out it wasn't because of old age.

It is a sequela of deep burns that cause tendon damage and scar hyperplasia.

The new apprentices all had tears in their eyes, and no one dared to complain even a little.

Lin Xi sat quietly to the side, her heart filled with overwhelming shock.

These are details that will not be made public in future archives; they are the path paved with blood and sweat by the older generation of aerospace workers.

The chat room was quiet for a long time.

After a long silence, someone finally broke it.

[Salute! This is the backbone of the Republic.]

A half-millimeter error, a life lost, and severe burns. No wonder he was so furious today.

This isn't just a bad temper; this is a live accident report.

Spaceflight is not a matter of ease, but of life and death.

[In places unseen by us, there are indeed people who shield those who come after them from death.]

Lu Guoliang picked up his lunchbox, stood up, looked at Xiao Peng, whose face was full of regret, and said in a deep voice:

"Old Lei keeps saying 'Don't pay tuition,' but what do you guys think tuition is?"

"In aerospace engineering, tuition is always paid with human lives and the fate of the nation!"

"On the launch site, there is no such thing as 'almost' or 'easy'."

Lu Guoliang's words carried immense weight, resonating deeply in the hearts of every young person.

"In this industry, there is no such thing as 99 points, let alone 99.9 points."

Even if you have ten thousand perfect parts, if even one part is defective...

"Then it's 0 points."

"It's a complete and utter failure, with no hope of redemption."

"It's a fireball."

Lu Guoliang looked at Xiao Peng.

"Did you understand?"

"Understood!"

Xiao Peng suddenly stood up straight, tears streaming down his face, and shouted loudly.

"Wipe away your tears, eat your meal, and go back to work."

Lu Guoliang patted him on the shoulder, picked up his lunchbox, and walked out of the cafeteria with Lin Xi.

Xiao Peng did not sit down again.

He wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, not even bothering to finish his meal, and turned around to run towards the bungalow testing workshop.

When Lin Xi and Lu Guoliang returned to the workshop in the afternoon, they saw Xiao Peng standing in front of the tool table.

He took a clean piece of fine cotton cloth and wiped the six-pound torque wrench until it was spotless.

Then, holding it with both hands, carefully and upright, it was placed into the special shockproof groove.

It's not just Xiao Peng.

Throughout the workshop, all the new apprentices changed their movements.

No one leaves their tools lying around anymore.

No one thinks "good enough" anymore.

Before each task, they would first look at the blueprints, then the piping, and only then would they touch their tools.

The experienced craftsmen still stood half a meter away with their hands behind their backs.

This time, however, there was less impatience in their eyes.

There was an added sense of reassurance that was not easily noticed.

Old Lei stood beside the fuel pipeline testing area, his hoarse voice no longer ringing.

He only glanced at Xiao Peng from afar.

Then he turned his face away and muttered a curse under his breath:

"Clean the tool trough thoroughly as well."

Don't try to fool me.

Xiao Peng was stunned for a moment.

The next second, he nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Master!"