During our country's nuclear tests, as the mushroom clouds rose repeatedly over the desert, the brave sampling pilots flew their planes deep into the heart of the nuclear explosion, unwaveringly charging into the densest areas. The pilots witnessed the sight inside the nuclear mushroom cloud...

Watching "Men Who Crossed the Mushroom Cloud" Episode 2: "The Brave Are Fearless"↓"Shining brightly, the cockpit is illuminated, it's like this inside the mushroom cloud." On a certain date, China conducted its first practical hydrogen bomb air-drop test. The Q-5A attack aircraft, carrying a miniaturized hydrogen bomb named "Kuanghua No. 1," took off and successfully dropped the bomb. Pilot Liu Baoxin of the 37th Division of the Air Force, flying a J-6, conducted the air sampling for this nuclear test. After passing through natural clouds, he quickly reached the predetermined airspace, located the mushroom cloud, and as per regulations, opened the sampling device and penetrated into the densest part.

Unveiling the Mysterious Interior of a Nuclear Explosion Mushroom Cloud: The Scene That Liu Baoxin Will Never Forget. "Once inside the cloud, I suddenly discovered a golden, sparkling color, illuminating the cockpit, very exciting, that's what the inside of a mushroom cloud looks like." Liu Baoxin quickly collected a dose of Roentgens, exceeding the prescribed limit. However, during the return flight, an accident occurred. Due to the low cloud layer, when Liu Baoxin flew the plane out of the natural cloud, there was not enough time to correct the direction, forming an angle with the navigation station. If the angle was not eliminated in time, the plane would not be able to align with the runway for landing, posing a danger. At the same time, the sky suddenly darkened, followed by snowfall. "The weather was getting worse, no one had ever flown in such complex weather." "Strictly follow the compass instructions, accurately fly towards the navigation station overhead, and timely judge the timing to pass the navigation station." The snow grew heavier, the snowflakes beating against the windshield, almost swallowing Liu Baoxin's vision in a white expanse. He gripped the control stick, adjusted the flight attitude, and continuously searched for the runway. Liu Baoxin calmly responded, and after the plane passed the navigation station, he finally vaguely saw the runway. He timely and accurately corrected the direction, aligned with the runway, and successfully returned. Liu Baoxin said, "Sampling is a battle, I must complete it."

After the first sampling attempt failed, he flew his aircraft through the center of the mushroom cloud, leaving an unforgettable impression on Gao Guoming, a pilot from the 37th Division of the Air Force Aviation Corps. He was the pilot who executed the cloud-penetrating sampling mission during China's 13th nuclear test on the date. During the mission, Gao Guoming aligned with the mushroom cloud and opened the sampling device, seizing the extremely brief opportunity to penetrate directly. However, at that moment, an accident occurred; the dose meter needle did not move, indicating the mission's failure. Gao Guoming made an immediate decision to charge into the mushroom cloud again. He maneuvered the aircraft to vertically penetrate the center of the mushroom cloud from below. This decision was fraught with immense risk, as that area was the most concentrated with nuclear slag and radioactive dust, a forbidden zone for flying. Gao Guoming said, "My only thought at the time was to complete the mission; I didn't consider any dangers." He entered from the bottom of the mushroom cloud and emerged from the top, flying within the center of the nuclear explosion cloud for nearly 10 seconds. "Originally, inside the dark cloud, it was pitch black, but once inside the mushroom cloud, the entire cockpit was suddenly illuminated, surrounded by glittering golden particles, very spectacular, but there was no time to appreciate it; I was mainly looking at the dose meter." "The dose meter had three settings: the first setting was 100 Röntgen, which maxed out; the second setting was 1,000 Röntgen, which also maxed out; then I switched to the third setting, finally reaching 10,000 Röntgen. The dose I sampled was the highest among the J-5 aircraft in the Air Force."

The pilots involved in the cloud-piercing sampling, after a period of specialized medical examination and recuperation, quickly recovered and soon returned to the skies, piloting their fighter jets once again. In the great journey of forging shields for the nation, they accomplished the important mission of their time with astonishing determination, courage, and skill. The brave do not fear, and the spirited are invincible. Salute!