China in the 21st century is making great progress in space technology. In 2003, the country sent up the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-V. Four years later, Chang'e-I went into orbit   around the moon. In 2008 a Chinese man did the country's first spacewalk. These achievements would have been unthinkable without the contribution of Qian Xuesen, a key scientist on space programs and rocketry   of the People's Republic of China. This pioneering scientist passed away in Beijing on October 31 in 2009 at the age of 98. Once called "the father of our space industry", Qian began working on China's missile and space technology in 1956, when China had little technology. When asked by General Chen Geng whether the Chinese could develop their own missiles, Qian said Chinese could do anything that foreigners could. His research helped lead to the explosion of China's first atomic bomb   in1964, as well as to its first man-made satellite in 1970 and its first manned spacecraft in 2003. Qian was born in Shanghai. He graduated from  Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1934.Then he studied in the US at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later at the California Institute of Technology. During World WarII, Qian's research contributed to the development of rocket technology that the US military   began using in the 1940s. He was once prevented from leaving the country because it was decided that he knew too much about certain military matters. It was not until in 1955 that Qian returned to China with the help of the late premier Zhou Enlai. "I plan to do my best to help the Chinese build a nation where they can live with dignity   and happiness, " Qian told reporters before sailing for China in 1955. The great scientist devoted all his life to keeping the promise. Qian was personally involved in many historic events in China EXCEPT  _
the first spacewalk the first man-made satellite the development of missiles the explosion of an atomic bomb