FOREWORD
Heavy demands are traditionally placed on launchers, orbital 
stations, spacecraft, satellites, interplanetary stations,
spacecraft-aircraft (shuttles), and various missiles as far as
reliability and mass-size, and economic efficiency of structures
are concerned. Search for new approaches to the design and
arrangement, introduction of advanced methods and technical means
of design, development of new technologies of manufacture of
materials and structures, and tests and economic analysis are
necessary to meet these demands.

The International Scientific Conference "Space-Rocket Technology: 
Fundamental Problems of Mechanics and Heat Transfer" (RST-98) organized 
by the N. E. Bauman Moscow State Technical 
University, the State Enterprise "Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering," 
and the S. P. Korolev Space-Rocket Corporation "Energiya" with support
from the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Russian Federation,
the Ministry of General Education and Vocational Training of the Russian
Federation, the Russian Space Agency, the Russian Foundation for
Fundamental Research, and information assistance from the International
Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering
(SAMPLE) was held in Moscow on November 10-12, 1998. Professor I. B. Fedorov,
Rector of the N. E. Bauman Moscow State Technical University and Professor 
Yu. N. Koptev, General Director of the Russian Space Agency, were 
co-chairmen of the Scientific Program Committee; Professor V. I. Usyukin 
was chairman of the Organizing Committee.

The Conference program included 202 reports prepared by 
scientists from Belarus, Germany, China, Russia, USA, the Ukraine, 
and France. Among 371 authors there were 72 doctors and 160 candidates 
of sciences. The authors of the reports represented 69 institutions, 
including virtually all domestic scientific-research and design
organizations, and industrial centers specializing in space-rocket
production, and also 17 universities from Germany, Russia, and
the Ukraine. More than 350 participants took part in the Conference.
Six plenary reports were heard. Oral and poster reports dealing with
new designs of rockets, engines, and spacecraft, topical problems
of the mechanics and heat transfer of structures, and advances
in the technologies of manufacture of rockets and spacecraft,
the economy, and education were discussed at four sessions.

The report on the state and prospects of development in 
rocket building and astronautics in Russia made by Professor
Yu. N. Koptev, General Director of the Russian Space Agency, the report on 
peaceful applications of military rocket technologies made by Professor 
Yu. S. Solomonov, Director and General Designer of the Moscow Institute 
of Thermal Engineering, the report on the ideas, problems, and prospects 
for carrying out the "Sea Start" program made by V. P. Legostaev, 
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, First Deputy 
General Designer of the Space-Rocket Corporation "Energiya," the report on
development of launchers ranging from "Proton" to "Angara" made by Professor
V. K. Karrask, First Deputy General Designer of the Design Bureau "Salyut"
of the M. V. Khrunichev State Space Science and Production Center, and the
report on problems of space radioastronomy made by N. S. Kardashev,
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Astrospace
Center of the P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Academy of Sciences,
were heard at the opening session of the Conference.

The Conference was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary 
of the scientific school on rocket and space technology founded by 
Academician S. P. Korolev and Corresponding Member of the Academy 
of Sciences of the USSR V. I. Feodos'ev at the N. E. Bauman Moscow
State Technical University. The well-known scientists - Academicians
V. P. Barmin, K. S. Kolesnikov, V. N. Chelomei, Professors L. I. Balabukh,
N. F. Krasnov, Yu. A. Pobedonostsev, and others - contributed much to the
formation and development of the school. Successes of this scientific school
in solution of heat transfer problems are associated with the names of
Professors G. B. Sinyarev, V. S. Zarubin, V. N. Eliseev, and B. G. Trusov.
Ten doctors and more than eighty candidates of sciences were trained under 
their supervision. The works of the specialists of the school in the 
fields of thermodynamics of rocket engines, simulation of temperature 
and stressed-strained states of load-bearing structures, thermal protective 
coatings made of composite and semitransparent materials, in creation 
of the algorithms and programs for solving inverse problems of
radiative-conductive heat transfer and procedures of thermal tests of
structural elements on the benches of radiative heating, and in development
of the procedures for determination of thermophysical and optical properties
of composite materials have gained wide recognition. The results of
scientific studies are actively introduced to the training process.

The papers presented in this issue are devoted mainly to 
the problems of heat transfer in rocket-space technology and are reported 
at the Conference RST-98. We express hope that the materials published 
will be of interest to specialists working in the field of thermophysics 
and mechanics and also for young scientists and will facilitate scientific 
cooperation between scientists of different countries.

S. V. Reznik, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, Professor 
of the Chair SM-1 at the N. E. Bauman Moscow 
State Technical University,
N. V. Pavlyukevich, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of 
Sciences of Belarus, Deputy Director of the Academic Scientific Complex 
"A. V. Luikov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute"