Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Template:Infobox Government agency Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a of federally funded research and development centers|federally funded research and development center and [1] field center located in the "San Gabriel" Valley area of Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County, [2], States. Although the facility has a Pasadena postal address, it is actually headquartered in the city of Cañada Flintridge, California|La Cañada Flintridge , on the northwest border of California|Pasadena. JPL is managed by the nearby Institute of Technology (Caltech) for the Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Laboratory's primary function is the construction and operation of robotic planetary spacecraft, though it also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions. It is also responsible for operating NASA's Space Network.

Among the Laboratory's current major active projects are the Science Laboratory mission (which includes the Science Laboratory|Curiosity rover), the [3] mission orbiting [4], the Exploration Rovers (rover|Spirit and rover|Opportunity), the Reconnaissance Orbiter, the mission|Dawn mission to the dwarf planet (dwarf planet)|Ceres and asteroid Vesta|Vesta, the [5] spacecraft en route to [6], the Recovery and Interior Laboratory ([7]) mission to the [8], and the Space Telescope.

JPL's Flight Operations Facility and Space Simulator are designated Historic Landmarks.

History

control room at JPL JPL traces its beginnings to 1936 in the Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT) when the first set of rocket experiments were carried out in the Seco (Los Angeles County)|Arroyo Seco. Caltech graduate students Malina, Arnold, M. O. Smith, and Hsue-shen, along with Whiteside Parsons|Jack Parsons and S. Forman, tested a small, alcohol-fueled motor to gather data for Malina's graduate thesis. Malina's thesis advisor was aerodynamicist von Kármán, who eventually arranged for U.S. Army financial support for this "GALCIT Rocket Project" in 1939. In 1941, Malina, Parsons, Forman, Summerfield, and pilot Homer Bushey demonstrated the first [9] rockets to the Army. In 1943, von Kármán, Malina, Parsons, and Forman established the Aerojet Corporation to manufacture JATO motors. The project took on the name Jet Propulsion Laboratory in November 1943 formally becoming an Army facility operated under contract by the university.

During JPL's Army years, the Laboratory developed two deployed weapon systems, the Corporal and Sergeant intermediate range ballistic missiles. These missiles were the first US ballistic missiles developed at JPL. It also developed a number of other weapons system prototypes, such as the Loki anti-aircraft missile system, and the forerunner of the [10] sounding rocket. At various times, it carried out rocket testing at the Sands Missile Range|White Sands Proving Ground, Air Force Base, and California. A lunar lander was also developed in 1938-39 which influenced design of the Lunar Module in the 1960s.

In 1954, JPL teamed up with von Braun’s rocketeers at the Ballistic Missile Agency’s Arsenal in Alabama, to propose orbiting a satellite during the Geophysical Year. The team lost that proposal to Vanguard, and instead embarked on a classified project to demonstrate ablative re-entry technology using a [11] rocket. They carried out three successful sub-orbital flights in 1956 and 1957. Using a spare Jupiter-C, the two organizations then launched America’s first satellite, 1, on February 1, 1958.

JPL was transferred to NASA after it was founded in October 1958, becoming the agency’s primary planetary spacecraft center. JPL engineers designed and operated program|Ranger and program|Surveyor missions to the [12] that prepared the way for program|Apollo. JPL also led the way in travel|interplanetary exploration with the program|Mariner missions to [13], [14], and (planet)|Mercury.

JPL was early to offer employment opportunities to women mathematicians. In the 1940s and 1950s, using mechanical calculators, women in an all-female computations group performed trajectory calculations. In 1961, JPL hired their Ulery|first woman engineer to work along side male engineers as part of the program|Ranger and program|Mariner mission tracking teams. landscaping JPL has been recognized four times by the Foundation: with the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award, which 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.

Location

When founded, JPL's site was a rocky flood-plain just outside the city limits of California|Pasadena. Almost all of the Template:Convert of the government of the United States|U.S. federal government/NASA owned property that makes up the JPL campus is today located in the city of Cañada Flintridge, California, but it maintains a California|Pasadena address (4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109). The city of Cañada Flintridge, California was incorporated in 1976, well after JPL attained international recognition with a Pasadena address. There has been periodic conflict between the two cities over the issue of which should be mentioned in the media as the home of the laboratory. Science Laboratory mockup comparison .jpg|thumb|upright|MSL mockup compared with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars Exploration Rover and Pathfinder|Sojourner rover by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on May 12, 2008]

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 school|graduate students, college student interns and co-op students. Caltech and JPL jointly offer research opportunities for students, such as the SURF program (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship).

Open House

jpl open house.jpg|left|thumb|upright|A display at the Open House on May 19, 2007. 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. 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.

Planetary Science Summer School

The Planetary Science Summer School (PSSS) is an annual workshop sponsored by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 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.

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 5 and its sequel series, (TV series)|Crusade.

Funding

JPL is a funded research and development center (FFRDC) managed and operated by Caltech under a contract from NASA. JPL-run projects include the (spacecraft)|Galileo mission to [15] and of Jupiter|its moons, the rovers (including the 1997 Pathfinder and the twin 2003 Exploration Rovers). JPL has sent unmanned missions to every [16] in our System. JPL has also conducted expensive mapping missions of [17]. JPL manages the worldwide Space Network, with facilities in [18] Desert, in [19] near [20], and in [21] near [22].

Peanuts tradition

There is a tradition at JPL to eat "good luck [23]s" before critical mission events, such as orbital insertions or landings. As the story goes, after the program had experienced failure after failure during the 1960s, the first successful Ranger mission to impact the moon occurred while a JPL staff member was eating peanuts. The staff jokingly decided that the peanuts must have been a good luck charm, and the tradition persisted.

Missions

These are some of the missions partially sponsored by JPL: Template:Columns-list

List of directors

• Dr. von Kármán, 1938 – 1944
• Dr. Malina, 1944 – 1946
• Dr. Dunn, 1946 – October 1, 1954
• Dr. Hayward Pickering, October 1, 1954 – March 31, 1976
• Dr. C. Murray, April 1, 1976 – June 30, 1982
• Dr. Allen, Jr., July 22, 1982 – December 31, 1990
• Dr. Stone|Edward C. Stone, January 1, 1991 – April 30, 2001
• Dr. Elachi, May 1, 2001 – Present

Team X

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".

Controversies

Employee background check lawsuit

Template:Main On February 25, 2005, the Security Presidential Directive 12 was approved by the Secretary of Commerce. This was followed by the Federal Information Processing Standards 201 (201), which specified how the federal government should implement personal identity verification. New 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 the of Commerce, claiming their rights were being violated by 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 HSPD12 and FIPS 201, investigators have the right to obtain any information on employees, which includes questioning acquaintances on 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 gets 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 rebadging rules were designed to make JPL compliant with FIPS 201. The States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found the process violated the employees' privacy rights and has 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.

Coppedge v Jet Propulsion Laboratory

On March 12, 2012, Los Angeles Superior Court took opening statements on the case in which former-JPL employee David Coppedge brought suit against the Lab due workplace discrimination and wrongful termination. In the suit, Coppedge alleges that he first lost his "team lead" status on JPL's [24] mission in 2009 and then was fired in 2011 because of his evangelical Christian beliefs and specifically his belief in design. Conversely, JPL, through the [25] lawyers representing the laboratory, allege that Coppedge's termination was simply due to budget cuts and his demotion from team lead was because of harrassment complaints from and on-going conflicts with his co-workers.

See also

• Propulsion Laboratory Science Division
• rovers

External links

• Template:Official website

Propulsion Laboratory|* agencies established in 1930 centres sites and structures in Pasadena, California

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