Dr. H. S. Tsien (also known as Dr. Qian Xuesen), is celebrated as the leader of the research that produced China's first ballistic missiles, its first satellite, and the Silkworm anti-ship missile.

This volume collects the scientific works of Dr. H. S. Tsien (also known as Dr. Qian Xuesen) and his co-authors, which published between 1938--1956 when he was studying and working in the United States as a graduate student, scientist and professor, when aeronautic exploration stepped up from low speed to high speed regimes and astronautic technology entered its infant stage.