Yang Jiachi

Not to be confused withYang Jiechi.

In thisChinese name,thefamily nameisYang.

Yang Jiachi(Chinese:Dương gia trì;16 July 1919 – 11 June 2006) was a Chineseaerospace engineerand a specialist in satellite control and automation. A participant in the development of China's first satellites and the developer of theattitude control systemfor recoverable satellites, he was awarded theTwo Bombs, One SatelliteMeritorious Medal in 1999. He was an academician of theChinese Academy of Sciencesand theInternational Academy of Astronautics.Theasteroid11637 Yangjiachiis named after him.

Early life and education

Yang was born on 16 July 1919 in the town ofZhenzeinWujiang,Jiangsu,Republic of China.

Yang received aBachelor of Scienceinelectrical engineeringfromChiao Tung University in Shanghaiin 1941. He received aMaster of Sciencein 1947 and aDoctor of Philosophyin 1949 fromHarvard University.

Career

After earning his Ph.D., Yang worked in the US for seven years, first as a research scientist at theUniversity of Pennsylvaniaand later as a senior engineer at theRockefeller University.

In 1956, Yang returned to China and worked as a research scientist at theInstitute of Automationunder theChinese Academy of Sciences.In 1968, he was transferred to theChina Academy of Space Technologyto participate in the development of China's firstsatellites.His most important contribution was developingthree-axis stabilizationfor theattitude controlsystems of recoverable satellites,and he also developed control systems for rockets andnuclear weapons testing.He was elected a delegate to the Third, Fourth, and FifthNational People's Congresses.

In March 1986, Yang and three other prominent scientists—Wang Daheng,Wang Ganchang,andChen Fangyun—wrote a letter toDeng Xiaopingadvocating the development of strategic technologies.Deng accepted their proposal, which gave birth to the influential863 Program,named after the date of their letter.

Yang died in Beijing on 11 June 2006 at the age of 86. He was buried at theBabaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.

Honours and recognition

Yang was elected an academician of theChinese Academy of Sciencesin 1980, and of theInternational Academy of Astronauticsin 1985. He was conferred the Special Prize of theState Science and Technology Progress Award(1985), the Tan Kah Kee Prize in Information Science (1995), theHo Leung Ho Lee Prizefor Technological Sciences (1999), and theTwo Bombs, One SatelliteMeritorious Medal (1999).

Theasteroid11637 Yangjiachi,discovered by theBeijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Programin 1996, is named after him.

External links

• Sina memorial page for Yang Jiachi(in Chinese)