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　　October312009California

　　TsienHsue-shenPhD'39oneofthefoundersoftheJetPropulsionLaboratorydiedonOctober31Hewas98.

　　TsienbornintheeasternChinesecityofHangzhougraduatedfromtheNationalQinghuaUniversityin1934andinAugustof1935heleftChinatostudyattheMassachusettsInstituteTechnology.In1936hewenttotheCaliforniaInstituteofTechnologytocommencegraduatestudies.Tsienobtainedhisdoctordegreein1939andwouldremainatCaltechfor20yearsbecomingtheGoddardProfessorandestablishingareputationasoneoftheleadingrocketscientistsintheUnitedStates.

　　In1943TsienandtwoothersintheCaltechrocketrygroupdraftedthefirstdocumenttousethenameJetPropulsionLaboratory.DuringtheSecondWorldWarhewasamongsttheotherscientistsparticipatedthe"ManhattanProject".AfterWorldWarIIheservedasaconsultanttothe UnitedStatesArmyAirForce.DuringthistimeConlonelTsienworkedondesigninganintercontinentalspaceplane.HisworkwouldinspiretheX--20Dyna-SoarwhichwouldlaterbetheinspirationfortheSpaceShuttle.In1945TsienHsue--shenmarriedJiangYingthedaughterofJiangBaili--oneoftheChinesenationalistleaderChiangKai--shen'sleadingmilitarystrategists.Butin1950theChinese-bornscientistwasaccusedofharboringCommunistsympathiesandstrippedofhissecurityclearance.

　　InSeptember1955hewaspermittedtoleaveforChinawhereTsienresumedhisresearchfoundedtheInstituteofMechanicsandwentontobecomethefatherofChina'smissileprogramatrustedmemberofthegovernmentandParty'sinnercircleandthenation'smosthonoredscientistTsienretiredin1991andhasmaintainedalowpublicprofileinBeijingChina.ThePRCgovernmentlauncheditsmannedspaceprogramin1992andusedTsien'sresearchasthebasisfortheLongMarchrocketwhichsuccessfullylaunchedtheShenzhouVmissioninOctoberof2003.TheelderlyTsienwasabletowatchChina'sfirstmannedspacemissionontelevisionfromhishospitalbed.

　　Inhislateyearssincethe1980sTsiendevotedhimselftospiritualityresearchandadvocatedscientificinvestigationoftraditionalChinesemedicineQigongand"specialhumanbodyfunctions".