Gas Dynamics Laboratory

Gas Dynamics Laboratory "GDL"

The building of the Main Admiralty in Leningrad, where in the 1930s the Gas Dynamics Laboratory was located
Parent institution	Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR
Founder(s)	Nikolai Tikhomirov
Established	1921[1]
Mission	research and development
Focus	Solid-propellant rockets, Liquid-propellant rockets
Key people	Valentin Glushko
Location	USSR, Moscow and Leningrad
Dissolved	in 1933 became RNII

Gas Dynamics Laboratory (GDL) (Russian: Газодинамическая лаборатория) was the first Soviet research and development laboratory to focus on rocket technology. Its activities were initially devoted to the development of solid propellant rockets, which became the prototypes of missiles in the Katyusha rocket launcher, as well as liquid propellant rockets, which became the prototypes of Soviet rockets and spacecraft. At the end of 1933 it became part of the Reactive Scientific Research Institute (RNII). A number of craters on the far side of the Moon are named after GDL employees.