Ren Xinmin facts for kids

Ren Xinmin (Chinese: 任新民; pinyin: Rén Xīnmín; Wade–Giles: Jen Hsin-min; 5 December 1915 – 12 February 2017) was a famous Chinese engineer. He was an expert in space travel and rocket engines. He helped design the Long March 1 rocket. This rocket launched Dong Fang Hong I, which was China's first satellite.

Ren Xinmin also designed the Long March 3 rocket. He worked on the Fengyun and SJ (Shijian) satellites too. He was one of the "Four Elders of China's Aerospace." This means he was one of the most important people in China's space program. He even received a special award in 1999 for his work.

Early Life and School Days

Ren Xinmin was born on December 5, 1915. This was in a place called Ningguo, in Anhui Province, China. When he was in middle school, he joined a group called the Communist Youth League.

He studied chemical engineering at National Central University in Nanjing. In 1937, a war started, called the Second Sino-Japanese War. Ren Xinmin moved to Chongqing to stay safe. There, he studied how to design guns. After finishing school in 1940, he worked at a place that made weapons.

In 1945, Ren Xinmin went to the University of Michigan in the United States. He earned two advanced degrees there.

Becoming a Rocket Scientist

After World War II, Ren Xinmin read a book about rockets. This made him very interested in rocket science. He returned to China in 1949. For three years, he and his friends tried to launch a small rocket. They learned a lot, even though they didn't finish the experiment.

Even though Ren Xinmin was an expert in mechanical engineering, he was asked to teach about rockets. He taught a course on solid-propellant rockets. This was at the Institute of Military Engineering.

In 1956, Ren Xinmin joined the Ministry of Defense. His first big job was to help build a copy of the R-2 rocket. Experts from the Soviet Union helped China with this project. In 1960, the Chinese version, called Dongfeng 1, was successfully launched.

Ren Xinmin became the chief designer for the Dongfeng 2 rocket. This was a medium-range rocket. In 1967, he led a team on a five-day search in the cold desert. They were looking for a test rocket that had fallen. This shows how dedicated he was to his work.

Leading China's Space Program

From 1975 to 1982, Ren Xinmin held an important government job. He then moved to the Ministry of Aerospace Industry. Here, he worked on the "331 Project." This project was about building and launching a communication satellite.

Ren Xinmin was the main engineer for this project. People even called him the "Chief Chief Engineer." He pushed for using special rocket engines that used liquid oxygen and hydrogen. Many people doubted him, but his ideas led to the success of the Long March 3 rocket in 1984.

He also strongly supported China's plans for sending people into space. He believed China should have its own space station.

Later Life

Ren Xinmin married Yu Shuangqin in 1944. She was the daughter of a government official.

Ren Xinmin passed away on February 12, 2017, in Beijing. He was 101 years old. His wife and children were still alive when he died.