🚀 Breaking barriers in space exploration! Meet Bao Shuo, born in the 1990s, who has just made history as the first female chief dispatcher at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC). 🌟
The BACC is China's hub for manned spaceflight and deep space missions—a place often called the \"only link between space and Earth.\" 🌏✨
For Bao, being a dispatcher isn't just about reading commands off a screen. 📋 She handles a whirlwind of information from multiple sources, often with many voices reporting to her simultaneously. \"You have to distinguish everyone's message, figure out what's most urgent, and decide what to tackle first,\" she explains. 🎧💡
Feeling a bit intimidated is normal. \"Sitting at the control desk feels scary all the time,\" the young dispatcher admits. But fear doesn't hold her back! 🧠💪
Joining the BACC in 2017 after graduate school, Bao started by sending commands to spacecraft. 🚀 In March 2019, she stepped up as a dispatcher, taking on responsibilities like task organization, planning, coordination, and management. Talk about leveling up! 🎮⬆️
The challenges were real, making her question her abilities and even her personality. \"I've always been introverted and not good at communication,\" Bao shares. Coordinating various positions required her to step out of her comfort zone. \"I was even afraid to make a phone call to others at the beginning,\" she recalls. 📞😅
Despite the pressure, Bao stayed positive and proactive. In 2020, she faced her \"big test\" when she became the chief dispatcher for China's first Mars exploration mission, Tianwen-1. 🛰️🔥
The mission's biggest challenge? The communication delay between Mars and Earth. For lunar missions, delays are just a few seconds. But as Tianwen-1 traveled farther, the delay grew to over 40 minutes round-trip! ⏳🪐
\"We couldn't afford to make any mistakes, so we had to predict possible faults,\" Bao says. It was her first time as chief dispatcher, but she aced the test! 🎉 Her quick thinking and accurate judgments ensured the mission's success. 🌠
At the end of each dispatch, Bao addresses her team: \"Attention, this is Beijing, this control is over normally, all numbers can exit.\" And that's her happiest, most relaxing moment. 😊🎧
Bao Shuo is not just breaking gender barriers; she's inspiring a new generation to reach for the stars! ✨🌟 Who knows? Maybe you'll be next! 💫
Reference(s):
Meet 1st female chief dispatcher of Beijing Aerospace Control Center
cgtn.com
