Nuclear Deterrent
On December 24, 1960 as he returned from the USSR, he accept to participate in the atomic bomb program, giving up research on elementary particles for the next 17 years. Within one year, he conducted more than 1000 detonation experiments at the foot of the Great Wall, in the Yanshan Mountain (河北省怀来县燕山), Huailai county, Hebei province.
In 1963 he moved to the Qinghai Plateau at more than 3000 meters, to continue polymerization detonation experiments. He then proceeded to Xinjiang's scorching Taklimakan desert to make preparation for the first nuclear test. Finally on October 16, 1964 the first atomic bomb test was conducted successfully. Looking at the rising mushroom cloud, rewarding four years of endeavours, he couldn't help shedding tears of excitement. Less than three years later, on June 17, 1967 the first hydrogen bomb test was conducted with success, shocking the world as China mastered this technology even before the French, and breaking the nuclear monopoly of the two superpowers.
In spring 1969, he served as vice-director of the Ninth Research Institute (二机部第九研究院) receiving the task of conducting the first underground nuclear test. Due to severe high altitude hypoxia, he had to carry an oxygen mask at work. After months of endeavours, the first underground test was successfully conducted on September 23, 1969. He also led the second and third Chinese underground nuclear tests.
Read more about this topic: Wang Ganchang
Famous quotes containing the word nuclear:
“We now recognize that abuse and neglect may be as frequent in nuclear families as love, protection, and commitment are in nonnuclear families.”
—David Elkind (20th century)