H.S. Tsien
| Qian Xuesen (Tsien Hsue-shen) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | 钱学森 |
| Born |
11 December 1911 Hangzhou, China |
| Died | 31 October 2009 (aged 97) Beijing, China |
| Residence | China United States |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Alma mater |
The High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University Shanghai Jiao Tong University Massachusetts Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology |
| Known for | co-founder of Jet Propulsion Laboratory father of Chinese space program |
| Spouse(s) | Jiang Ying (m. 1947) |
| Children | Yonggang Yungjen |
| Awards | Distinguished Alumni Award from Caltech (1979) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields |
Aeronautics Engineering cybernetics |
| Institutions |
California Institute of Technology (professor) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (co-founder) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (professor) Fifth Academy of the Ministry of National Defense, PRC (first director) Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (first director) Commission of Science and Technology for National Defense of the PLA (vice director) |
| Doctoral advisor | Theodore von Kármán |
| Doctoral students | Cheng Chemin |
Qian Xuesen or Hsue-Shen Tsien ; 11 December 1911 – 31 October 2009) was a Chinese engineer who contributed to aerodynamics and rocket science. Recruited from MIT, he joined Theodore von Karman's group at Caltech, including the founding of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Later he returned to China as Qian Xuesen and made important contributions to China's missile and space program.
During the Second Red Scare in the 1950s, the United States government accused Tsien of communist sympathies. In 1950, despite protests by his colleagues, he was stripped of his security clearance. Tsien decided to return to China, but was detained at Terminal Island near Los Angeles.
After spending five years under virtual house arrest, in 1955 Tsien was released in exchange for the repatriation of American pilots captured during the Korean War. He left the United States in September 1955 on the American President Lines passenger liner SS President Cleveland, arriving in China via Hong Kong.
Upon his return, Tsien helped lead the Chinese nuclear weapons program. This effort ultimately led to China's first successful atomic bomb test and hydrogen bomb test, making China the fifth nuclear weapons state, and achieving the fastest fission-to-fusion development in history. Additionally, Qian's work led to the development of the Dongfeng ballistic missile and the Chinese space program. For his contributions, he became known as the "Father of Chinese Rocketry", nicknamed the "King of Rocketry".
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