Amugulang Grassland, with open terrain and no big rivers or lakes, is one of the landing sites for the Shenzhou series return capsules.
On the grassland, there are sparsely populated areas, with less than ten people per square kilometer.
Only herders who occasionally graze cattle and sheep come to this grassland.
"Return to the capsule and start separation!"
After receiving instructions from the command center, the ocean monitoring ship far away in the Atlantic Ocean began to inject data information into the manned spacecraft still in space.
After the return capsule receives the command, the spaceborne engine begins to ignite and brake, preparing to change its orbit.
At the same time, prepare to disconnect from the return module-propulsion module complex.
"Return capsule, enter return orbit"
When the complex flew to an altitude of 140 kilometers above the Karachi station, the return capsule and the complex separated successfully and began to enter the atmosphere.
"Return capsule, separation successful!"
At the flight control center located in the northern capital, almost everyone was busy at this time.
"Order the helicopter group to take off immediately!"
Zhang Jianguo was in the command center and issued various instructions calmly and calmly.
The main purpose of the helicopter is to assist in discovering the existence of the return capsule. After all, the Amugulang grassland is vast and sparsely populated, and even a high-power radar cannot guarantee that it can detect the return capsule in the first time.
At this time, only the most primitive visual search method can be used to ensure that the existence of the return capsule is discovered as soon as possible.
"Commander Zhang, a Skylark helicopter of the helicopter brigade has malfunctioned and is temporarily unable to take off!"
At this time, the personnel who had already started calling the helicopter brigade to inform the helicopter team to take off immediately suddenly received bad news.
"Damn it, why did the Gauls have such a problem at this juncture!"
Even Zhang Jianguo, who had always kept his emotions secret, couldn't help but curse at this time.
However, scolding could not solve the problem. Zhang Jianguo did not scold too much and quickly calmed down and said:
"If there is a problem with Skylark, let them follow the predetermined alternative plan No. 1!"
When we first made the plan, we actually considered that there might be problems with the helicopter and it would be unable to take off, or there would be bad weather conditions that would prevent the helicopter from taking off.
Therefore, several alternative plans were formulated. Among them, alternative plan No. 1 dealt with the situation where the helicopter was unable to take off due to problems.
Plan No. 1: After the helicopter group's helicopter fails to take off, the Army Aviation Group's Zhi-9 Group will be notified and asked to perform a visual search mission.
"yes!"
Now that the return capsule has begun to return to the landing site according to scheduled procedures, every minute and second is precious.
After Zhang Jianguo resolved this matter, he also devoted some of his attention to ground electronic scanning radar.
"As for the radar, is it turned on now?" Zhang Jianguo asked the engineer responsible for this work.
"The three high-power radar stations located near the grassland have all started working!"
When the engineer saw the commander-in-chief and asked about it, he directly talked about the current situation without hesitation.
"But with their current scanning efficiency, there is a high probability that they will be able to find the target after the helicopter group!"
This problem is difficult to solve with the technology of this era.
Because when the return capsule enters the atmosphere, shock waves will be formed on the surface of the return capsule due to the ultra-high speed.
As a result, the surface of the return capsule and the surrounding gas molecules are in a viscous state, forming a high-temperature zone with a temperature of several thousand degrees Celsius.
The high temperature zone causes the material on the surface to be decomposed and ionized, forming a plasma zone.
Because plasma can absorb and reflect radio waves, causing radio interruptions between the return capsule and the outside world, it is called a black barrier!
Although before the launch of Shenzhou-1, the ground radar monitoring station conducted multiple trainings to improve the capture speed after the return capsule emerged from the black barrier.
However, judging from the situation during training, it takes almost a minute to re-capture the existence of the return capsule after it exits the black barrier.
After such a long time, the return capsule had long been visually discovered by the helicopter brigade.
"Let them try their best to search for the return capsule from now on!"
After Zhang Jianguo said a word, he began to focus on the situation of the return capsule.
"Have you not broken through the black barrier area yet?"
The communication system personnel turned around and glanced at the commander-in-chief behind him and said:
"Just entered the black barrier area 15 seconds ago."
"It is expected to take another minute before contact can be reestablished."
The staff in the flight control center were still nervously waiting to reestablish contact with the return capsule.
On the Amugulang grassland, in a simple yurt.
Although it was just past three in the morning, Habuji, who was almost 60 years old, had already woken up.
Start preparing food for the day for your little cubs.
Habuji's two children have already moved to a city thousands of miles away.
Only the old man and their little daughter Zoya were left.
The mare at home just gave birth to a foal two days ago.
Although Habuji was happy, he was also a little worried because the foal was not healthy and was relatively thin.
In addition, the mare produces less milk, so the foal cannot get adequate nutrition.
This made Habuji very worried, and he couldn't help but pray in his heart to the Immortality Heaven that his ancestors had believed in for generations, praying for the foal to grow up smoothly.
"grandfather!"
After the little granddaughter woke up in the yurt, she found that she was alone and shouted loudly.
Habuji, who had a weathered face, lifted the curtain of the yurt and walked in at this time.
"Zoya."
Zhuoya, who lived in the city with her parents when she was a child, can no longer speak Mongolian and can only communicate with her grandfather in Mandarin.
"Grandpa, where were you just now?"
The little girl jumped out of bed, her pink feet stepping on the traditional woven carpet.
"The foal was just born the day before yesterday. His mother has no milk."
Habuji put down the small bottle in his hand, smiled and said:
"Grandpa went to feed him."
Although Zhuoya is three or four years old, she occasionally drinks milk to supplement her nutrition.
"Grandpa, does the pony also need milk?"
Zoya tilted her little head and asked.
At this time, Habuji noticed his little granddaughter standing barefoot on the stall.
Although the stove in the yurt was always burning, the old man was still worried that the little girl would catch cold.
He quickly found a pair of small cotton wool boots and put them on her feet.
"Ponies also need milk when they are born, just like you did when you were born."
"Grandpa, I want to see the pony!" Zhuo Ya stepped on the fur boots on her feet hard and said feeling very comfortable.
The old man will basically never refuse his granddaughter's request.
After dressing his precious granddaughter in warm sweaters and cotton clothes, he took her into the greenhouse where the foal was.
The foal, with a small tuft of white hair on its head and all black body, lay quietly in the corner of the greenhouse.
Its mother was eating hay in the stone trough.
Zoya entered the greenhouse. The mare just glanced at her calmly and found that it was a human cub. She didn't pay much attention to it and continued to eat grass calmly.
For Zoya, a mare with a height of about 1.6 meters is considered a giant, so she still prefers newborn ponies.
She especially liked the tuft of white hair on the pony's forehead.
"Grandpa, how about we give the pony a name."
Zoya, who was stroking the foal, turned to look at her grandfather and said.
"Okay, what kind of name do you think of!" Habuji comforted the mare on the side, who was a little uneasy after Zoya approached her cub.
After thinking hard for a long time, Xiao Zhuoya still couldn't think of any better name.
He looked at his grandfather with some embarrassment and said shyly:
"Grandpa, I can't take it out!"
"Come and get one!"
Habuji touched Zoya's head and said:
"It's better to call it Su Ri!"
Su Ri means majesty on the grassland, so it is a better name.
Mainly because of the image of this horse, which has a very domineering feel.
"Su Ri!"
After Zoya got the pony's name, she said while stroking the pony.
Maybe Xiao Ma knew his name and actually stuck out his tongue and licked Zhuo Ya's hand.
"Grandpa, it's so itchy!"
"whee!"
Zoya happily turned her head to look at her grandfather and said.
Habuji looked at a watch in his hand and said:
"Zhuo Ya, let Xiaoma have a good rest. Let's go back."
Zhuo Ya is a very obedient little girl and said to Xiao Ma:
"Su Ri, Su Ri, you have to grow up well!"
Then he took grandpa's hand and walked out of the greenhouse.
It’s past three o’clock in the morning on the grassland, and it’s not yet dawn.
The sky was still dark, no stars or moonlight could be seen.
A sudden flash of light across the sky attracted Zoya's attention.
"Grandpa, look!"
"meteor!"
Zhuo Ya, who was holding her grandfather's left hand, suddenly jumped up and shouted excitedly.
Habuji felt a little strange when he looked at the meteors piercing the night sky in the distance.
It was not that he had never seen meteors before, but he had never seen one for such a long time.
Ten seconds have passed and it is still flashing.
"Kid, maybe that's not a shooting star!"
Living on the grassland for a long time has made the old man develop excellent alertness.
"You stay at home and I'll follow you to take a look."
Letting Xiao Zhuoya stay safely in the yurt, the old man took out a tall horse with a streak of white hair on its head from the stable.
And from a corner of the yurt, he took out a well-maintained Type 56 semi-automatic rifle.
Although the old man is not young anymore, when he was young, he was a member of the Prairie Cavalry Regiment and was very good at shooting.
After feeding the horse some bean cake to replenish its strength, Habuji jumped on the horse and started driving in the direction of the falling meteor.
At this time, Zhuo Ya, who was still in the yurt, secretly lifted the curtain of the yurt.
Facing the shooting stars in the distance, I can't help but make a wish.
I hope my grandfather can be healthy and that little Ma Suri can grow up quickly.
Habuji rode a big horse and ran wildly on the Amugulang grassland in the middle of the night.
The closer he got to the direction of the meteor, the stranger he felt.
Because he seemed to hear the sound of a car engine around him.
And the constant roar of helicopters in the sky.
Not knowing what he was facing, Habuji tightened his grip on the rifle in his hand.
No matter what it is, only the weapons in your hands can give you enough sense of security.
When he was in the army, Habuji's performance in horse shooting was always the best.
This was also one of the reasons why he dared to pursue it.
At this time, the personnel on Zhi-9 who came out to visually search the return capsule also discovered that there seemed to be someone underneath them.
"Report to the command center, unidentified person found!"
The people on the helicopter didn't know what to do and reported it directly to the command center.
"Advise the other party to stay where they are!"
"You guys keep going!"
"Leave him to the ground convoy to deal with!"
The feedback from the command center was very fast, telling the helicopter brigade not to waste time on such matters and move on quickly.
The Z-9 pilot lowered the flight altitude and asked others to use loudspeakers to warn them not to move forward and to stay where they were.
Although this Z-9B is just an armed transport aircraft and is not equipped with any weapons systems.
But Habuji still saw the military logo on the helicopter at a glance.
So he did not continue to move forward, but controlled the tall horse he was sitting on to stop.
The wind pressure from the helicopter was very strong, which made the horse feel a little uneasy and kept pawing the ground with its hooves.
However, the helicopter left quickly after shouting. At this time, a motorcade also followed and stopped next to the old man.
"Old man, the front is now a restricted area."
"You can stop here first."
A soldier in civilian clothes got off a jeep and spoke kindly to Habuji.
After clearly seeing the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle held in Habuji's right hand, he looked a little more serious and said:
"Old man, where did the rifle in your hand come from?!"
Habuji looked at the other party, put his beloved gun on the hanging point on the horse, took out an ID from his pocket, and handed it to the other party.
"This was given to us by the chairman when I was in the Prairie Cavalry Regiment and participated in the army competition."
After looking at the old man's ID, Xu Maoshan saluted with a military salute and said, "Old man, the front is now a military restricted area. Please forgive me."
After returning the gun license to the old man, Xu Maoshan said with a smile:
"Please, please stay with us for a while."
Habuji seemed to understand at this time that the meteor might be the target of this group of people.
"Are you here for that meteor too?"
Xu Maoshan, who was just about to turn around and move on, was a little surprised when he heard this question: "Did you see it, old man?"
"So what is that?" Habuji asked with some confusion.
"That one." Xu Maoshan looked at the sky, which was already slightly lit up with glow, and said:
"That is our own space dream!"
At this time, the helicopter group that advanced first had visually discovered the landing site of the return capsule.
"Report to the command center that the return capsule has been discovered!"
Near the return capsule, the helicopter landed slowly and a perimeter cordon was set up around it.
Soon, the ground team also arrived at the return capsule landing site.
Everyone carefully took out the intact red flag from the return capsule and unfolded it in front of the return capsule.
An important photo in domestic aerospace history was taken.
On this day, our manned space journey officially begins!
(End of chapter)
