NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

For the singer/songwriter, see Jon Peter Lewis. Jon Peter Lewis and his trademark green velvet jacket. ...

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge, near Los Angeles, California, USA, builds and operates unmanned spacecraft for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). JPL may stand for: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a NASA facility in Pasadena, California. ... Image File history File links JPL_logo. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2867x2242, 1299 KB) http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2867x2242, 1299 KB) http://www. ... Image File history File links This is a photograph of the control room in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA. (Photographed by Alan Mak in 2005) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links This is a photograph of the control room in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA. (Photographed by Alan Mak in 2005) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Location of La CaÃ±ada Flintridge in California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1976-11-30 [2] Government - Mayor Gregory Brown [1] Area - City 8. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government - Type Mayor-Council - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo - Governing body City Council Area - City 498. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ...

History

JPL dates back to the 1930s, when Caltech professor Theodore von Karman began running rocket propulsion experiments at the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory on the site. JPL was co-founded in 1944 with rocket scientists Tsien Hsue-shen and Jack Parsons, which has led some to affectionately refer to it as the "Jack Parsons Lab." (Despite its name, JPL had not been concerned with work on turbojets or other air-breathing jet engines: Rocket engines were often called "jets" or "ramjets" before the mid-1940s.) During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces asked JPL to analyze the V2 rockets that were developed by Nazi Germany, as well as work on other projects for the war effort. From this study, JPL developed the Corporal missile. This project later evolved into the Sergeant Rocket until it was discontinued in 1958. Face The 1930s (years from 1930â€“1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (commonly known as Caltech) is a private, coeducational university located in Pasadena, California, in the United States. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... The Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT), was a research institute created in 1926, at first specializing in aeronautics research. ... Tsien Hsue-shen Tsien Hsue-shen (Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: QiÃ¡n XuÃ©sÄ“n; born December 11, 1911) is a scientist who was a major figure in the missile and space programs of both the United States and Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Insert non-formatted text hereMedia:Example. ... A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ... A remote camera captures a close-up view of a Space Shuttle Main Engine during a test firing at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi Spacecraft propulsion is used to change the velocity of spacecraft and artificial satellites, or in short, to provide delta-v. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the U.S. Army during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... German test launch. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The American-made Corporal missile was the first guided weapon authorised by the US airforce to carry a nuclear warhead. ... MGM-29 Sergeant in flight The MGM-29 Sergeant was an American short-range, solid fuel, surface-to-surface missile. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

By 1958, JPL's government affiliation was transferred to the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and JPL's current mission of unmanned planetary exploration began. JPL retained its original name after the transition, even though most research into jet propulsion ceased after 1958. In 1995 JPL once again got involved in propulsion design, issuing a contract to Wickman Spacecraft and Propulsion Company to develop a rocket engine and jet engine that could directly burn the Martian atmosphere of carbon dioxide. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ...

Location

Almost all of the 177 acres (72 hectares) of the U.S. Government/NASA owned property that makes up the JPL campus is actually located in the city of La Cañada Flintridge, California, but the JPL main gate and several buildings are in Pasadena, so it maintains a Pasadena address (4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109). Location of La CaÃ±ada Flintridge in California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1976-11-30 [2] Government - Mayor Gregory Brown [1] Area - City 8. ... Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ...

Employees

There are approximately 5,000 full-time Caltech employees, and typically a few thousand additional contractors working on any given day. NASA also has a resident office at the facility staffed by federal managers who oversee JPL's activities and work for NASA. There are also some Caltech graduate students, college student interns and co-op students. California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (commonly known as Caltech) is a private, coeducational university located in Pasadena, California, in the United States. ...

Open days

The lab has an open house once a year on a Saturday and Sunday in May, when the public is invited to tour the facilities and see live demonstrations of JPL science and technology. The 2007 Open House took place on May 19 & 20, 2007. More limited private tours are also available throughout the year if scheduled well in advance. Thousands of schoolchildren from Southern California and elsewhere visit the lab every year.

2007 Open House

Other works

In addition to its government work, JPL has also assisted the nearby motion picture and television industries, by advising them about scientific accuracy in their productions. Science fiction shows advised by JPL include Babylon 5 and its sequel series Crusade. Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynskis Babylon 5. ...

The Space Flight Operations Facility and Twenty-five-foot Space Simulator are designated National Historic Landmarks. This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ...

Funding

JPL is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) managed and operated by Caltech under a contract from NASA. JPL-run projects include the Galileo Jupiter mission and the Mars rovers, including the 1997 Mars Pathfinder and the twin 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers. JPL has sent unmanned missions to every planet in our solar system. JPL has also conducted extensive mapping missions of Earth. JPL manages the world-wide Deep Space Network, with facilities in California's Mojave Desert, in Spain near Madrid and in Australia near Canberra. Federally Funded Research and Developments Centers (FFRDCs) conduct research for the federal government. ... California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (commonly known as Caltech) is a private, coeducational university located in Pasadena, California, in the United States. ... Galileo being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... A Mars Rover is an unmanned land vehicle for exploration of the planet Mars. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996 by NASA aboard a Delta II just a month after the Mars Global Surveyor was launched. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Artists Concept of Rover on Mars (credit: Maas Digital LLC) NASAs Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Mission is an ongoing unmanned Mars exploration mission, commenced in 2003, that sent two robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity to explore the Martian surface and geology. ... The eight planets and three dwarf planets of the Solar System. ... Major features of the Solar System (not to scale; from left to right): Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, the asteroid belt, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and its Moon, and Mars. ... Adjectives: Terrestrial, Terran, Telluric, Tellurian, Earthly Atmosphere Surface pressure: 101. ... Deep Space Network (DSN) is an international network of radio antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions, and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area Ranked 3rd - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 kmÂ²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 770 miles (1,240 km) - % water 4. ... For the indigenous American tribe, see Mohave. ... Motto: De Madrid al Cielo (From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad AutÃ³noma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-GallardÃ³n (PP) Area - Land 607 kmÂ² (234. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ...

Missions

Listed chronologically, the following significant missions were partially sponsored by JPL. See this page for a complete list of missions.

The Explorer program was the United Statess first successful attempt to launch an artificial satellite . ... Launch of Mariner 1 (NASA) The Mariner program was a program conducted by the American space agency NASA that launched a series of robotic interplanetary probes designed to investigate Mars, Venus and Mercury. ... The US Pioneer program of unmanned space missions was designed for planetary exploration. ... Viking mission profile. ... Voyager Project redirects here. ... Magellan spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center The Magellan spacecraft carried out a mission from 1989-1994, orbiting Venus from 1990-1994. ... Galileo being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... The spacecraft Deep Space 1 was launched October 24, 1998 on top of a Delta II rocket. ... The Deep Space 2 mission, which launched in January 1999 as part of NASAs New Millennium Program, consisted of two highly advanced miniature probes to Mars. ... The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) was a US spacecraft developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. ... Mars Climate Orbiter during tests The Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor 98 Orbiter) was one of two spacecraft in the Mars Surveyor 98 program, the other being the Mars Polar Lander (formerly the Mars Surveyor 98 Lander). ... Cassini-Huygens is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI unmanned space mission intended to study Saturn and its moons. ... An artists rendering of Stardust (NASA image) The Stardust capsule with cometary and interstellar samples landed at the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range at 10:10 UTC (15 January 2006) in the Bonneville Salt Flats. ... Artists concept of the 2001 Mars Odyssey Spacecraft 2001 Mars Odyssey is an unmanned spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. ... The Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996 by NASA aboard a Delta II just a month after the Mars Global Surveyor was launched. ... Artists Concept of Rover on Mars NASAs Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Mission (since 2003) is a unmanned Mars exploration mission that includes sending two Rovers (robots) to explore the Martian surface and geology. ... The Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility [SIRTF]) is an infrared space observatory, the fourth and final of NASAs Great Observatories. ... NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from orbit. ...

List of directors

The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... Frank Malina (1912-1982) was a Czech-American aeronautical engineer and painter, especially known for becoming both a pioneer in the art world and the realm of scientific engineering. ... Louis G. Dunn (1908-1979) was a South African-born engineer who played a key role in the development of early American missiles and launch vehicles. ... Willam H. Pickering, JPL/NASA Photo Sir William Hayward Pickering ONZ KBE (December 24, 1910â€”March 15, 2004) was a New Zealand-American who headed Pasadena, Californias Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for 22 years, retiring in 1976. ... Born November 30, 1931 in New York, NY. Married to Suzanne Moss, 5 children. ... Lew Allen was the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. ... Dr. Ed Stone is a Caltech professor who is the project scientist of the Voyager spacecraft. ... Dr. Charles Elachi is the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located in Pasadena, California, since May 1, 2001. ...

External links

Categories: Big Science | NASA facilities | Pasadena, California | Registered Historic Places in California | National Historic Landmarks of the United States | 1930 establishments | Space Centre The Dawn Mission is a NASA mission currently under development to send an orbiting, robotic space probe to examine the two most massive members of the asteroid belt, the dwarf planet Ceres and the asteroid Vesta. ... The Herschel Space Observatory is a mission of the European Space Agency. ... Conceptual drawing of the Kepler Space Observatory Kepler is a space observatory planned by NASA that will search for extrasolar planets. ... LBT on the cover of VMEbus Systems magazine The Large Binocular Telescope (originally named the Columbus Project) is a joint project of the Italian astronomical community (represented by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)), the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the LBT Beteiligungsgesellschaft in Germany (Max... For the Star Trek spacecraft, see Phoenix (Star Trek). ... 2006 Mars Science Laboratory concept 2003 Mars Science Laboratory concept Schematic diagram of the planned rover components, updated version Schematic diagram of the planned rover components The Mars Science Laboratory (or MSL for short) is a NASA rover scheduled to launch in December 2009 and perform a precision landing on... The Astrobiology Field Laboratory is a proposed NASA unmanned planetary spacecraft to explore the planet Mars. ... The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech)[1] is a private, coeducational university located in Pasadena, California, in the United States. ... NASA Logo Listen to this article Â· (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Deep Space Network (DSN) is an international network of radio antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions, and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. ... The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) —commonly called the Goldstone Observatory— is located in Californias Mojave Desert (USA). ...

Contents

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