Viral
11-year-old Chinese prodigy Yan Hongsen, self-taught in programming, physics, and chemistry, builds and launches his own rocket, earning the nickname "Rocket Boy."
Updated : Jul 28, 2024, 10:33 PM IST
An 11-year-old boy named Yan Hongsen from China is being hailed as a prodigy after teaching himself programming, physics, and chemistry, and writing 600 lines of code to build a rocket. Known as "Rocket Boy," Hongsen is a primary five student, according to reports.
Hongsen has been sharing his journey on Douyin, a Chinese social media platform, as reported by the South China Morning Post. His passion for rockets and astronomy began when he was just four years old after he visited a launch center and witnessed the liftoff of the Long March-2 rocket. This experience sparked a deep fascination with space and rockets.
Following his newfound interest, Hongsen started taking online programming courses while still in kindergarten. He also taught himself complex subjects like physics and chemistry through books, online videos, and forums for astronomy enthusiasts. His parents, recognizing his eagerness to learn, supported him by converting their living room into a rocket research studio.
In August 2022, Hongsen embarked on building his first homemade rocket. By June of the following year, he successfully launched it, but the rocket encountered issues and crashed soon after liftoff. Undeterred, Hongsen meticulously collected the rocket's debris and analyzed the failure. He discovered that the nitrocellulose did not explode as expected, and the spring and lithium battery were damaged. He also identified a possible issue with the rocket's body connection.
His father recounted the maiden launch, expressing that despite the crash, it was still a success. He felt extremely excited and thrilled, whereas his son remained calm and focused on the technical aspects.
Hongsen is now working on modifying his second rocket model, aiming to achieve a successful launch in the future. In his latest video, he revealed that he had written over 600 lines of code for the flight control system of his newest rocket. Hongsen has clear ambitions for the future; he plans to attend one of China's seven elite civilian defense institutes. His ultimate goal is to develop a genuine rocket for China to use in space exploration.
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