Qian Xuesen

"Hsue-shen Tsien" redirects here. For the 2012 biographical film, see Hsue-shen Tsien (film).
In this Chinese name, the family name is Qian (Tsien).
Qian Xuesen
钱学森
Qian in 1950
Born(1911-12-11)December 11, 1911
Shanghai, Qing dynasty
DiedOctober 31, 2009(2009-10-31) (aged 97)
Beijing, China
Alma mater
Known for
Spouse
​
(m. 1947)​
Children
  • Qian Yonggang
  • Qian Yungjen
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Theses
Doctoral advisorTheodore von Kármán
Doctoral students
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese錢學森
Simplified Chinese钱学森
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQián Xuésēn
Wade–GilesChʻien2 Hsüeh2-sen1
IPA[tɕʰjɛ̌n ɕɥě.sə́n]
Signature

Qian Xuesen (Chinese: 钱学森; December 11, 1911 – October 31, 2009; also spelled as Tsien Hsue-shen) was a Chinese aerospace engineer and cyberneticist who made significant contributions to the field of aerodynamics and established engineering cybernetics. He achieved recognition as one of America's leading experts in rockets and high-speed flight theory prior to his returning to China in 1955.[1]

Qian received his undergraduate education in mechanical engineering at National Chiao Tung University in Shanghai in 1934. He traveled to the United States in 1935 and attained a master's degree in aeronautical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1936. Afterward, he joined Theodore von Kármán's group at the California Institute of Technology in 1936, received a doctorate in aeronautics and mathematics there in 1939, and became an associate professor at Caltech in 1943. While at Caltech, he co-founded NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[1][2] He was recruited by the United States Department of Defense and the Department of War to serve in various positions, including as an expert consultant with a rank of colonel in 1945. At the same time, he became an associate professor at MIT in 1946, a full professor at MIT in 1947, and a full professor at Caltech in 1949.[3]

During the Second Red Scare in the 1950s, the United States federal government accused him of communist sympathies. In 1950, despite protests by his colleagues and without any evidence of the allegations, he was stripped of his security clearance.[1][4] He was given a deferred deportation order by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and for the following five years, he and his family were subjected to partial house arrest and government surveillance in an effort to gradually make his technical knowledge obsolete.[1] After spending five years under house arrest,[5] he was released in 1955 in exchange for the repatriation of American pilots who had been 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 mainland China via Hong Kong.[6]

Upon his return, he helped lead development of the Dongfeng ballistic missile and the Chinese space program. He also played a significant part in the construction and development of China's defense industry, higher education and research system, rocket force, and a key technology university.[7][8][9][10][11] For his contributions, he became known as the "Father of Chinese Rocketry", nicknamed the "King of Rocketry".[12][13] He is recognized as one of the founding fathers of Two Bombs, One Satellite.[14]

In 1957, Qian was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He served as a Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 1987 to 1998.

He was the cousin of engineer Hsue-Chu Tsien, who was involved in the aerospace industries of both China and the United States. His nephew, Roger Y. Tsien, was the 2008 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

  1. ^ a b c d Whalen, Mark, ed. (November 2009). "JPL co-founder dies" (PDF). Universe. Vol. 39, no. 11. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  2. ^ "Qian Xuesen – Nuclear Museum". Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  3. ^ "Biographies of Aerospace Officials and Policymakers". NASA. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  4. ^ Perrett, Bradley; Asker, James R. (January 7, 2008). "Person of the Year: Qian Xuesen". Aviation Week and Space Technology. 168 (1): 57–61. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.(subscription required)
  5. ^ "Tsien Hsue-Shen Dies". Caltech. November 2, 2009. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  6. ^ "US Deporting Rocket Expert". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 13, 1955. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  7. ^ 钱学森：毕生为强国. Chinese Academy of Sciences (in Chinese). Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  8. ^ 钱学森与中国科学技术大学. Chinese Academy of Sciences (in Chinese). Archived from the original on April 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  9. ^ 钱学森关于教育问题的一次谈话. China Youth Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  10. ^ 科学技术体系学研究的开创者. Chinese Academy of Sciences (in Chinese). Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  11. ^ "火箭军"之名从哪儿来：1956年元旦由钱学森提出. The Paper (in Chinese). Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  12. ^ 钱学森：历尽险阻报效祖国 火箭之王淡泊名誉 [Qian Xuesen: King of Rocketry who experienced obstacles in serving the Motherland]. People's Daily (in Chinese). October 31, 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
  13. ^ 美国航空周刊2008年度人物:钱学森 [US Aviation Week & Space Technology Person of the Year 2008: Qian Xuesen]. NetEase (in Chinese). October 31, 2009. Archived from the original on November 3, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  14. ^ 23位两弹一星元勋已有17人离世 媒体解析其功绩. China.com (in Chinese). May 30, 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.