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75-658: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL ) is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California , Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Caltech researchers, the laboratory is now owned and sponsored by NASA and administered and managed by the California Institute of Technology . The primary function of the laboratory is the construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecraft , though it also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions. It

150-569: A AIM-7 Sparrow missile motor in its second stage; the Aerobee 300 was also known as the Sparrowbee. There were versions of Aerobee-Hi such as the Aerobee 150 and 150A in which case the difference was in the number of fins, the 150 having three and the 150A four. The Aerobee 100 was essentially a shortened Aerobee 150 with an AJ11 engine. By far the largest of the Aerobee series was the Aerobee 350, composed of four clustered Aerobee 150s boosted by

225-584: A Jupiter-C rocket. They carried out three successful sub-orbital flights in 1956 and 1957. Using a spare Juno I (a modified Jupiter-C with a fourth stage), the two organizations then launched the United States' first satellite, Explorer 1 , on January 31, 1958. This significant achievement marked a new era for JPL and the US in the space race. Less than a year later in December 1958, JPL was transferred to

300-512: A Nike M5E1. Though they bore the Aerobee appellation, the Aerobee 75 and proposed Aerobee 90 were not actually related to the others in that they were solid propellant rockets with the 75 having a HAWK motor, the 90 was a 75 with a Sparrow second stage. Over the decades of development Aerobees were flown with many related engines including the XASR-1 (21AL-2600), 45AL-2600, AJ10-24, AJ10-25, AJ10-27, AJ10-34, AJ11-6, and AJ60-92. Later versions of

375-406: A close flyby of Saturn 's moon Titan . The spacecraft sent back detailed images and data from both gas giants, revolutionizing our understanding of these distant worlds. The Voyager 2 spacecraft followed a more extensive trajectory, conducting flybys of not just Jupiter and Saturn, but also Uranus and Neptune. These encounters provided firsthand data from all four gas giants, offering insights into

450-505: A contract presented 17 May 1946 by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to Aerojet , at the time a producer of WAC Corporal rockets, for the procurement of 20 liquid-fueled sounding rockets capable of carrying a 150 pounds (68 kg) payload to an altitude of 300,000 feet (91,000 m). 15 of the new rockets would be allocated to APL, and 5 to NRL. Aerojet was to be the prime contractor while Douglas Aircraft , also

525-506: A disaster or terrorist attack. FINDER uses microwave radar to detect breathing and pulses. Additionally, JPL is home to the JPL-RPIF (Jet Propulsion Laboratory – Regional Planetary Image Facility) which is chartered as a repository for all robotic spacecraft hard-copy data and thus provides a valuable resource to NASA funded science investigators, and an important conduit for the distribution of NASA generated materials to local educators in

600-523: A dummy Aerobee attached to a live booster engine was launched from White Sands Missile Range , New Mexico for flight testing. This was followed (after two more dummy tests in October ) by the first complete Aerobee launch on 24 November. The flight was terminated after 35 seconds when the rocket's tail began yawing back and forth. This Aerobee was the first rocket fired by the US Navy at White Sands and

675-589: A kilometer or more in diameter that cross Earth's orbit by 2013. Entering the 2010s and 2020s, JPL continued its Mars exploration with the Curiosity rover and the Mars 2020 mission, which included the Perseverance rover and the retired Ingenuity helicopter . Perseverance's core objective was to collect samples for a future Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. In addition, JPL ventured into asteroid exploration with

750-465: A producer of WAC Corporals, would provide aerodynamic engineering and take on some of the production. The Aerojet designation for the new rocket was "Aerobee", a contraction of Aerojet, manufacturer of the engine, and Bumblebee, a Navy guided missile program. It was a single-stage, liquid-fueled, fin-stabilized rocket, using a solid-propellant rocket motor as a booster. This booster was jettisoned after 2.5 seconds of operation. The nose cone containing

825-588: 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. The JPL Education Office serves educators and students by providing them with activities, resources, materials and opportunities tied to NASA missions and science. The mission of its programs is to introduce and further students' interest in pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers. JPL offers research, internship and fellowship opportunities in

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900-499: A small, alcohol-fueled motor to gather data for Malina's graduate thesis. Malina's thesis advisor was engineer/aerodynamicist Theodore von Kármán , who eventually secured U.S. Army financial support for this "GALCIT Rocket Project" in 1939. In the early years of the project, work was primarily focused on the development of rocket technology. In 1941, Malina, Parsons, Forman, Martin Summerfield , and pilot Homer Bushey demonstrated

975-512: A smaller part of JPL's overall budget, they are integral to fulfilling the diverse set of objectives that these federal agencies oversee. In fiscal year 2022, the laboratory's budget was approximately $ 2.4 billion, with the largest share going to Planetary Science development. In 2024, due to budget misappropriation in Mars Sample Return (MSR), the lab slashed approximately 1000 workers and contractors in preparation to make wave for

1050-430: A systematic approach to research, development, and acquisitions—one independent of the ups and downs of the marketplace and free of the restrictions on civil service. From this idea arose the concept of FFRDCs—private entities that would work almost exclusively on behalf of the government—free of organizational conflicts of interest and with a stable workforce of highly trained technical talent. The U.S. Air Force created

1125-599: A variant of the −10a's engine with a higher specific impulse ; the RTV-N-10c was a production variant of the −10b. The USAF fielded a production version of the RTV-N-10b, which did not get an official designation. On 2 December 1949, the Air Force launched its first Aerobee from Holloman AFB Launch Complex A . Though the rocket flew to nearly 60 miles (97 km) in altitude and took the first color motion-pictures of

1200-588: A vital part of America's efforts in the International Geophysical Year , comprising more than half of the allocated IGY sounding rocket budget. The earliest space biomedical missions were launched via Aerobee: Three Air Force missions carrying mice and monkeys, launched 1951–52, determined that the brief (~15 minutes) exposure to acceleration, reduced gravity, and high altitude cosmic radiation did not have significant negative effects. An Aerobee 150 launched on 19 June 1962 (UTC) detected

1275-460: A year on a Saturday and Sunday in May or June, when the public was invited to tour the facilities and see live demonstrations of JPL science and technology. 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. Due to federal spending cuts mandated by budget sequestration ,

1350-913: Is also responsible for operating the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN). Among the major active projects at the laboratory, some are the Mars 2020 mission, which includes the Perseverance rover; the Mars Science Laboratory mission, including the Curiosity rover; the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ; the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter ; the SMAP satellite for Earth surface soil moisture monitoring;

1425-523: Is given annually to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to public awareness of space programs, in 1998; and with the John L. "Jack" Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration on three occasions – in 2009 (as part of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander Team), 2006 and 2005. When it was founded, JPL's site was immediately west of a rocky flood-plain – the Arroyo Seco riverbed – above

1500-450: Is subject to annual fluctuations based on both the federal allocation to NASA and the life cycle of ongoing projects. High-profile missions may receive significant long-term funding commitments, whereas smaller or shorter-term projects may have more modest financial support. These agencies often commission projects that leverage JPL's unique expertise in areas like remote sensing , robotics, and systems engineering. Although these projects form

1575-548: The Caltech lawyers representing the laboratory, allege that Coppedge's termination was simply due to budget cuts and his demotion from team lead was because of harassment complaints and from on-going conflicts with his co-workers. Superior Court Judge Ernest Hiroshige issued a final ruling in favor of JPL on January 16, 2013. Federally funded research and development centers During World War II scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and other specialists became part of

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1650-545: The Los Angeles Superior Court took opening statements on the case in which former JPL employee David Coppedge brought suit against the lab due to workplace discrimination and wrongful termination. In the suit, Coppedge alleges that he first lost his "team lead" status on JPL's Cassini-Huygens mission in 2009 and then was fired in 2011 because of his evangelical Christian beliefs and specifically his belief in intelligent design . Conversely, JPL, through

1725-617: The Moon that paved the way for the Apollo program . JPL proved itself a leader in interplanetary exploration with the Mariner missions to Venus , Mars , and Mercury , returning valuable data about our neighboring planets. Additionally, JPL was early to employ female mathematicians. In the 1940s and 1950s, using mechanical calculators, women in an all-female computations group performed trajectory calculations. In 1961, JPL hired Dana Ulery as

1800-718: The NuSTAR X-ray telescope ; and the Psyche asteroid orbiter. It is also responsible for managing the JPL Small-Body Database , and provides physical data and lists of publications for all known small Solar System bodies . JPL's Space Flight Operations Facility and Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator are designated National Historic Landmarks . JPL traces its beginnings to 1936 in the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at

1875-540: The OSIRIS-REx mission which returned a sample from asteroid Bennu . As JPL moves forward, its focus remains on diverse interplanetary and even interstellar missions. Future Mars missions will aim to return the samples collected by the Perseverance rover back to Earth. Additionally, JPL's Europa Clipper mission launched in 2024 to study Jupiter's moon Europa , believed to harbor a subsurface ocean. Building on

1950-517: The United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Occasionally, JPL engages in joint missions or research endeavors with international space agencies or research institutions. While these partnerships contribute a relatively small portion of JPL's overall budget, they serve to enhance the scope and impact of its scientific research and technological development. The total budget for JPL

2025-679: The White Sands Proving Ground , Edwards Air Force Base , and Goldstone, California . In 1954, JPL teamed up with Wernher von Braun 's engineers at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency 's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama , to propose orbiting a satellite during the International Geophysical Year . The team lost that proposal to Project Vanguard , and instead embarked on a classified project to demonstrate ablative re-entry technology using

2100-1136: The AJ10 and AJ-11 engines produced 17.8 kilonewtons (4,000 lb f ) of thrust. Boosters included surplus Nike M5E1 boosters and VKM-17 and VKM-20s as we'll as the original 2.5KS-18000. Launch towers for Aerobee rockets were built at the White Sands Missile Range and Holloman AFB in New Mexico; Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia; Eglin AFB in Florida; Churchill Rocket Research Range in Manitoba, Canada; and Woomera , South Australia. Aerobees were also launched from Centro de Lancamento da Barreira do Inferno (CLBI), Natal, Rio Grande N, Brazil; Kauai Test Facility , Barking Sands, Kauai; Nouadhibou , Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Mauritania; Vandenberg AFB , California; Walker's Cay , Bahamas; and aboard

2175-400: The Aerobee family included photography, biomedical research, biology, the study of energetic particles, ionospheric physics, meteorology, radio astronomy, solar physics, aeronomy, spectrometry, signals intelligence research, infrared studies, magnetometry, ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy, as well as many other fields such as aerodynamic research and missile technology development. Aerobees were

2250-590: The Aerobee-Hi. The Air Force Aerobee Hi, (MX-1960, XRM-84) and the slightly longer Navy Aerobee-Hi (RV-N-13, PWN-2A). Engine development continued with the AJ11-6, AJ11-18, AJ11-20, AJ11-21, and AGVL0113C/F/H/I of the Aerobee-Hi. The Aerobe-Hi was boosted by the 2.5KS-18000 booster. The Navy Aerobee-Hi was considerably different from the Air Force Aerobee-Hi, using the fuel pressure regulator from

2325-724: The Air Force included the RTV-A-1a, which used an Aerojet AJ10-25 sustainer with 18 kilonewtons (4,000 lb f ) of thrust, but with a shorter duration; the RTV-A-1c, identical but without a solid rocket booster; the RTV-A-1b, using the XASR-1 engine, but with chemical pressurization; and the RTV-A-1d, using the 18 kilonewtons (4,000 lb f ) engine of the −1a, with chemical pressurization, and launched without booster. The Navy also evolved their XASR-2 Aerobees. The RTV-N-10b used

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2400-503: The California Institute of Technology (GALCIT) when the first set of United States rocket experiments were carried out in the Arroyo Seco . This initial venture involved Caltech graduate students Frank Malina , Qian Xuesen , Weld Arnold and Apollo M. O. Smith , along with Jack Parsons and Edward S. Forman , often referred to as the "Suicide Squad" due to the dangerous nature of their experiments. Together, they tested

2475-503: The Department of Commerce, claiming their constitutional rights were being violated by the new, overly invasive background investigations. 97% of JPL employees were classified at the low-risk level and would be subjected to the same clearance procedures as those obtaining moderate/high risk clearance. Under HSPD 12 and FIPS 201, investigators have the right to obtain any information on employees, which includes questioning acquaintances on

2550-568: The Devil's Gate dam in the northwestern panhandle of the city of Pasadena in Southern California , near Los Angeles . While the first few buildings were constructed in land bought from the city of Pasadena, subsequent buildings were constructed in neighboring unincorporated land that later became part of La Cañada Flintridge . Nowadays, most of the 168 acres (68 ha) of the U.S. federal government -owned NASA property that makes up

2625-487: The Earth from space, the payload was lost and not recovered until 13 July 1950, by which point the film (as well as x-ray emulsions that has also been carried aboard) were unsalvageable. This inauspicious beginning was followed by 32 more Aerobee flights, most of which were successful, including the first successful flight of a monkey, on 18 April 1951. By the early 1950s Aerobee was the sounding rocket of choice being flown by

2700-813: The Government of the United States of America regarding the Launching of Three Aerobee Rockets was established in Canberra , March 1970. A similar treaty was agreed to in 1973 for seven launches, and in 1977 for six launches for various astronomical and solar experiments conducted by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center . In 1974, the US DARPA through Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory and Australia agreed to launch three rockets under project Hi Star South . A total of 20 Aerobee launches were made at Woomera Test Range : The scientific research done with

2775-589: The JPL campus is located in La Cañada Flintridge. Despite this, JPL still uses a Pasadena address (4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109) as its official mailing address. There has been occasional rivalry between the two cities over the issue of which one should be mentioned in the media as the home of the laboratory. After the 2024 layoffs, there are only approximately 5,500 full-time Caltech employees and contractors working on any given day. NASA also has

2850-528: The Los Angeles/southern California area. The predominant source of JPL's financial support is NASA. As a field center of NASA, JPL's primary activities and projects are generally aligned with NASA's mission objectives in space exploration, Earth sciences, and astrophysics. The funding allocated to JPL comes as a portion of NASA's annual budget, which is itself part of the United States federal budget approved by Congress. The scale of

2925-504: The Mobile Aerobee Launch Facility (MALF) which was first used in 1966 for launches from Natal, Brazil. A total of 1,037 Aerobees (including variants) were launched from all locations with a success rate in excess of 97%. More than half of these were Aerobee 150/150As. The last Aerobee, a 150 MI, flew an Airglow payload at White Sands on 17 January 1985. The Agreement between the Government of Australia and

3000-508: The NASA Museum Alliance in 2003 out of a desire to provide museums, planetariums, visitor centers and other kinds of informal educators with exhibit materials, professional development and information related to the then-upcoming landings of the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity . The Alliance now has more than 500 members, who get access to NASA displays, models, educational workshops and networking opportunities through

3075-603: The Navy Research Laboratory, USAF, and Army Signal Corps. The cost of lofting a pound of scientific payload to altitude was significantly lower than that of any competitor. In 1955, the USAF's RTV-A-1 rockets were redesignated X-8 (X-8a-d corresponding with the old RTV-A-1a-d series). The first major derivative version, the Aerobee-Hi (first launched in 1955) featured an increase in length, fuel capacity and improved engineering design. There were two versions of

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3150-516: The Nike Ajax, a delayed start function and a pressure sealed tail cone to allow better measurement of the external upper atmosphere. Following the creation of NASA, development of Aerobees became largely guided by NASA. Exceptions developed for the armed services included the Aerobee 170, aka Nike-Aerobee, which combined the Nike M5E1 booster with the Aerobee 150, and the Aerobee 300 which used

3225-598: The Ninth Circuit found the process violated the employees' privacy rights and issued a preliminary injunction. NASA appealed and the US Supreme Court granted certiorari on March 8, 2010. On January 19, 2011, the Supreme Court overturned the Ninth Circuit decision, ruling that the background checks did not violate any constitutional privacy right that the employees may have had. On March 12, 2012,

3300-658: The Voyager program's success, JPL continues to push the boundaries of deep-space exploration. The Interstellar Probe concept, though not yet formalized, proposes to send a spacecraft ten times the distance from the Sun as Pluto, to explore the interstellar medium and the outermost reaches of our solar system. JPL has been recognized four times by the Space Foundation : with the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award, which

3375-481: The budget is contingent on the projects that JPL undertakes as missions can range from flagship interplanetary missions costing billions of U.S. dollars to smaller Earth observation systems with budgets in the hundreds of millions. Aside from NASA, JPL secures funding for specialized projects from other federal agencies, including but not limited to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

3450-401: The charges were fired. A bright green flash ensued, observable from Palomar Observatory 1,000 km (620 mi) away. Post-launch analysis suggested that at least two fragments from the exploding charges had soared away from the Earth with twice the kinetic energy necessary to reach escape velocity and become the first artificial satellites of the sun. When the achievement was announced

3525-521: The diversity of organizations you represent." The NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center, which is moving from its location at the Indian Hill Mall in Pomona, California, at the end of 2013, offers resources, materials and free workshops for formal and informal educators covering science, technology, engineering and science topics related to NASA missions and science. The lab had an open house once

3600-742: The first FFRDC, the RAND Corporation , in 1947. Others grew directly out of their wartime roles. For example, MIT Lincoln Laboratory , founded in 1951, originated as the Radiation Laboratory at MIT, and the Navy's Operation Research Group evolved into the Center for Naval Analyses. The first FFRDCs served the Department of Defense . Since then, other government organizations have sponsored FFRDCs to meet their specific needs. In 1969,

3675-414: The first X-rays emitted from a source outside our solar system ( Scorpius X-1 ). On 16 October 1957, Aerobee USAF-88 was launched from Holloman LC-A in New Mexico to hurl the first artificial objects into interplanetary space . Several varieties of aluminum cones packed with explosive charges were mounted in the rocket's nose cone. 91 seconds after liftoff, at an altitude of 85 km (53 mi),

3750-596: The first female engineer to work alongside male engineers as part of the Ranger and Mariner mission tracking teams. Building on the momentum from the successes of the 1960s and early 1970s, JPL initiated an era of deep space exploration in the late 1970s and 1980s. The highlight of this period was the launch of the twin Voyager spacecraft in 1977. Initially set on a trajectory to explore Jupiter and its moon Io, Voyager 1 's mission parameters were adjusted to also provide

3825-587: The first jet-assisted takeoff ( JATO ) rockets to the Army. In 1943, von Kármán, Malina, Parsons, and Forman established the Aerojet Corporation to manufacture JATO rockets. The project took on the name Jet Propulsion Laboratory in November 1943, formally becoming an Army facility operated under contract by the university. In the same year, Qian and two of his colleagues drafted the first document to use

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3900-549: The first successful Mars rover, Sojourner , demonstrating the feasibility of mobile exploration on the Martian surface. In 2004, the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity , landed on Mars. Opportunity outlived its expected lifespan by 14 years, providing a wealth of scientific data and setting the stage for future Mars missions. In the 2000s and 2010s, JPL broadened its exploration scope, including

3975-400: The following month, it was compared favorably in the contemporary press to the Soviet launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1 , just 12 days before the Aerobee launch. However, subsequent analysis by space historian Jonathan McDowell suggests that none of the payload fragments actually achieved escape velocity. An artifact of the Aerobee programs, which remains in use today, is

4050-415: The laboratory developed two significant deployed weapon systems, the MGM-5 Corporal and MGM-29 Sergeant intermediate-range ballistic missiles, marking the first US ballistic missiles developed at JPL. It also developed several other weapons system prototypes, such as the Loki anti-aircraft missile system, and the forerunner of the Aerobee sounding rocket. At various times, it carried out rocket testing at

4125-406: The launch of missions to study the outer planets, like the Juno mission to Jupiter and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. Concurrently, JPL also began to focus on Earth science missions, developing satellite technology to study climate change, weather patterns, and natural phenomena on Earth. JPL also opened the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA in 1998, which had found 95% of asteroids

4200-409: The massive United States war effort—leading to evolutions in radar, aircraft, computing and, most famously, the development of nuclear weapons through the Manhattan Project . The end of armed conflict did not end the need for organized research and development in support of the government. As the Cold War became the new reality, government officials and their scientific advisors advanced the idea of

4275-453: The name Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In a NASA conference on the history of early rocketry, Malina wrote that the work of the JPL was "considered to include" the research carried out by the GALCIT Rocket Research Group from 1936 on. In 1944, Parsons was expelled due to his "unorthodox and unsafe working methods" following one of several FBI investigations into his involvement with the occult, drugs and sexual promiscuity. During JPL's Army years,

4350-423: The nature and dynamics of the outer planets. Both Voyager spacecraft, after fulfilling their primary mission objectives, were directed towards interstellar space , carrying with them the Golden Records – phonograph discs containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life on Earth. The 1980s also saw the inception of the Galileo mission which launched in the late 1980s. The Galileo spacecraft

4425-436: The nature of cosmic rays, the solar spectrum, and the distribution of atmospheric ozone. However, the limited supply and the expense of assembling and firing the V-2 rockets, as well as the small payload capacity of the first purpose-built sounding rocket, the WAC Corporal , created demand for a low cost sounding rocket to be used for scientific research. An Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) effort led by James Van Allen led to

4500-507: 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 . JPL also works with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS-S&T). JPL and DHS-S&T developed a search and rescue tool for first responders called FINDER. First responders can use FINDER to locate people still alive who are buried in rubble after

4575-433: The newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). As a result of this transition, JPL became the agency's primary planetary spacecraft center, leading the design and operation of various lunar and interplanetary missions. The transfer to NASA marked the beginning of a "Golden Age" of planetary exploration for JPL in the 1960s and 1970s. JPL engineers designed and operated Ranger and Surveyor missions to

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4650-432: The next fiscal year 2025. There is a tradition at JPL to eat "good luck peanuts " before critical mission events, such as orbital insertions or landings. As the story goes, after the Ranger program had experienced failure after failure during the 1960s, the first successful Ranger mission to impact the Moon occurred after a JPL staff member had decided to pass out peanuts to relieve tension. The staff jokingly decided that

4725-640: The number of FFRDCs peaked at 74. The following list includes all current FFRDCs: Aerobee The Aerobee rocket was one of the United States' most produced and productive sounding rockets . Developed by the Aerojet Corporation , the Aerobee was designed to combine the altitude and launching capability of the V-2 with the cost effectiveness and mass production of the WAC Corporal . More than 1000 Aerobees were launched between 1947 and 1985, returning vast amounts of astronomical, physical, aeronomical, and biomedical data. Research using V-2 rockets after World War II produced valuable results concerning

4800-530: The open house has been previously cancelled. JPL open house for 2014 was October 11 and 12 and 2015 was October 10 and 11. Starting from 2016, JPL replaced the annual Open House with "Ticket to Explore JPL", which features the same exhibits but requires tickets and advance reservation. Roboticist and Mars rover driver Vandi Verma frequently acts as science communicator at open house type events to encourage children (and particularly girls) into STEM careers. In addition to its government work, JPL has also assisted

4875-441: The peanuts must have been a good luck charm, and the tradition persisted. These are some of the missions partially sponsored by JPL: The JPL Advanced Projects Design Team, also known as Team X, is an interdisciplinary team of engineers that utilizes "concurrent engineering methodologies to complete rapid design, analysis and evaluation of mission concept designs". On February 25, 2005, Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12

4950-544: The program. Staff at educational organizations that meet the Museum Alliance requirements can register to participate online. The Museum Alliance is a subset of the JPL Education Office's Informal Education group, which also serves after-school and summer programs, parents and other kinds of informal educators. On December 9, 2020 , the Museum Alliance officially announced a rebrand to the Museum & Informal Education (MIE) Alliance. In an announcement to members, they said, "Pronounced 'My' Alliance, our new name better reflects

5025-457: The research vessel USS Norton Sound . Two Seabee missiles were launched from the sea off Point Mugu, California . The Seabee's (Sea launched Aerobees) were launched from a position floating in water as part of Robert Truax 's Sea Dragon project for Aerojet. The Aerobees launched from overseas locations such as the Bahamas used a modified launch tower that had originally been used on the USS Norton Sound . NASA further modified that tower into

5100-437: The status of the employee's mental, emotional, and financial stability. Additionally, if employees depart JPL before the end of the two-year validity of the background check, no investigation ability is terminated; former employees can still be legally monitored. Employees were told that if they did not sign an unlimited waiver of privacy, they would be deemed to have "voluntarily resigned". The United States Court of Appeals for

5175-412: The subject of the first comprehensive missile range safety program. The next Aerobee launch, on 5 March 1948, was a complete success, achieving an altitude of 73 miles (117 km) and breaching the 62-mile (100 km) boundary of space (as defined by the World Air Sports Federation ). The original Aerobee design was designated RTV-N-8 by the Navy and XASR-1 by Aerojet and the Army. This rocket

5250-524: The summer and throughout the year to high school through postdoctoral and faculty students. (In most cases, students must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents to apply, although foreign nationals studying at U.S. universities are eligible for limited programs.) Interns are sponsored through NASA programs, university partnerships and JPL mentors for research opportunities at the laboratory in areas including technology, robotics, planetary science, aerospace engineering, and astrophysics. In August 2013, JPL

5325-457: The telemetry transmitter and the scientific payload was recoverable and returned to earth on a parachute. As with its progenitor, the WAC Corporal , the Aerobee required a tall launch tower to provide the necessary stability until the relatively slowly accelerating rocket gained enough speed for its fins to be effective in controlling attitude. Launch towers were adjustable in inclination and azimuth to compensate for wind. On 25 September 1947,

5400-457: Was approved by the Secretary of Commerce . This was followed by Federal Information Processing Standards 201 ( FIPS 201 ), which specified how the federal government should implement personal identity verification. These specifications led to a need for rebadging to meet the updated requirements. On August 30, 2007, a group of JPL employees filed suit in federal court against NASA, Caltech, and

5475-484: Was designed to study Jupiter and its major moons in detail. Although the probe only entered the gas giant's orbit in the 1990s, its inception and planning during the 1980s signified JPL's continued commitment to deep space exploration. The 1990s and 2000s saw a resurgence in Mars exploration, driven by JPL's Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover missions. In 1997, the Mars Pathfinder mission deployed

5550-654: Was named one of "The 10 Most Awesome College Labs of 2013" by Popular Science, which noted that about 100 students who intern at the laboratory are considered for permanent jobs at JPL after they graduate. The JPL Education Office also hosts the Planetary Science Summer School (PSSS), an annual week-long workshop for graduate and postdoctoral students. The program involves a one-week team design exercise developing an early mission concept study, working with JPL's Advanced Projects Design Team ("Team X") and other concurrent engineering teams. JPL created

5625-528: Was powered by the XASR-1, a 11.5 kilonewtons (2,600 lb f ) version of the 21AL-2600 engine also used in the Nike Ajax . The XASR-1 engine was superseded by the XASR-2, which used helium for fuel tank pressurization instead of compressed air. First flying in late 1949, Aerobees using the new engine were designated RTV-N-10(a) by the Navy and RTV-A-1 by the Air Force. Variants on this design employed by

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