This photo taken from the website of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) shows Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the Tianwen-1 Mars probe, delivering a speech during a lecture at HKU on June 24, 2021.

HONG KONG – Two of China’s top-level aerospace scientists on Thursday morning shared with Hong Kong students the stories behind the designs of China’s Long March rocket series and Tianwen-1 Mars probe.

Long Lehao, chief designer of Long March rocket series, and Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the Tianwen-1 Mars probe, gave the lectures at the University of Hong Kong.

The lectures are part of a series of talks by a delegation of the nation's top aerospace scientists and engineers who are visting Hong Kong

They are members of a delegation of the nation’s top aerospace scientists and engineers who are visiting Hong Kong to give talks at several universities and secondary schools this week.

In his lecture, Long said patriotism comes naturally for the aerospace scientists. “Without the Communist Party of China, there would not be a new China, nor are the achievements made by me, ” he said.  

Long said the nation offered opportunities for him to change his life with knowledge, growing up from a cowherd boy to a leading scientist in rocket research.

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The Long March series of rockets are space vehicles independently developed by China for carrying satellites and spacecraft. After the successful launch of Dongfanghong-1 in 1970, the country's first man-made satellite, they completed various tasks, including launching the Shenzhou spacecraft series.

On the other hand, the Tianwen-1 project is China’s first mission to the red planet, consisting of an orbiter and a rover. With the rover successfully landing on Mars on May 15, 2021, China has become the second country after the United States to land and operate a rover on the planet.

On Wednesday, Hu Hao, another key scientist of the national delegation, who is also the chief designer of China's third-phase lunar exploration project, shared the history of Chang-e lunar exploration projects at the university.

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