RIP Qian Xuesen, China’s ‘Father of Space Technology’ - November 02, 2009
Posted for Jane Qiu
Qian Xuesen, widely known as the father of China’s missile and space missile programme, died on 31 October at the age of 98.
A prominent rocket scientist who helped establish the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, Qian decided to return to China after being accused of being a communist and spy, but was detained for five years before being deported in 1955.
One year after his return, Qian established China's first ballistic missile programme, which led to the successful launch of the Dongfeng missile in 1964 and nuclear-weapon testing the following year. Qian's research has also led to the development of the Long March Rocket, which successfully launched Shenzhou V, China's manned spacecraft, in October 2003.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has also reported the death of biophysicist Bei Shizhang, who died the age 107 on October 29. “As the founder, the first chief director and later honorary director of the Institute of Biophysics, CAS, he was considered ‘Father of Chinese Biophysics’,” the academy said in a statement.
