Slice of History

In the summer of 1986, a young Italian who had never stepped foot outside of Europe arrived at JPL.

In the early 1950s, games of Horseshoe were a daily lunchtime occurrence on Lab.

After faithfully supporting every flight mission managed by JPL since 1970, a historic IBM 360 computer system was finally laid to rest on August 1, 1983.

Former JPLer Mari Graham is shown here posing in front of her typewriter for her showcase in the 1954 issue of Lab-Oratory.

Ranger 9, the last craft of the series, launched 60 years ago on 21 March 1965.

Kenneth Kelly, a trailblazing aerospace engineer, broke barriers in space tech and civil rights, pioneering antenna innovations and fair housing reforms.

On April 1988, sixth through eighth graders from Eliot Middle School in Pasadena performed a talent show on the steps of Building 180 in appreciation of JPL’s involvement in LADWP’s “Adopt-a-School” program.

Thirty-five years ago this month, the Director’s Office issued a memo announcing a new vanpool initiative encouraging JPLers to join together to make a difference for the environment.

The Huygens Probe successfully detached from the Cassini orbiter on 24 December to begin a three-week journey to Saturn’s moon, Titan.

Dr. Carl Sagan, often referred to as “the scientist who made the Universe clearer to the ordinary person,” was born 90 years ago.

Galileo launched 35 years ago today, on October 18, 1989! As the first spacecraft to deploy an entry probe into an outer planet’s atmosphere, Galileo’s mission was to study Jupiter and its mysterious moons.

A sister spacecraft to Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11 was the first spacecraft to study Saturn up close and returned the first images of the polar regions of Jupiter.

Effective May 1956, JPLer Stan Locke took over for Dave Browne as Editor of Lab-Oratory, the Lab’s former employee newspaper that was published and distributed monthly.

In 1952, members of the Transportation Department had driven approximately one-quarter million miles of safe driving. That’s nothing compared to everything they handle at JPL today!

According to an August 1979 issue of Universe, this group published a call to action: “You cyclists out there who find that one wheel is enough are invited to help form a JPL unicycle club."

1956’s annual Spring Dance was held on 12 May at the Pasadena Elks Club, a change in venue to accommodate the overwhelming response of a growing staff.

On 11 July 1991, JPLers eagerly clustered outside of the PhotoLab to take turns peering into handmade tubes, sextants, and solar glasses to view a picture-perfect partial solar eclipse.

On 5 March 1979, Voyager 1 passed Jupiter for the first time in a landmark moment in global space history.

Happy 55th Anniversary, Mariner 6! On 25 February 1969, Mariner 6 began the first dual journey to Mars for itself and its companion, the soon-after launched Mariner 7.

Explorer 1 became the first successfully launched satellite by the United States when it was sent to space on 31 January 1958. A quick response to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1, Explorer 1’s success marked the beginning of the US Space Age.

Conceived as a cover by JPLer Gene Breeskin, the December 1964 issue of Lab-Oratory was illustrated by David B. Willoughby of the JPL Reports group.

An example of JPL’s historical and ongoing approach to public health, these photos document an on-Lab X-Ray clinic that was hosted in conjunction with the Pasadena Tuberculosis Association.

JPL and Caltech have a close relationship that extends far beyond planetary exploration, Earth Science, and space-based astronomy. This photo, taken 13 April 1959, shows Caltech alumni and JPL employees mixing and mingling at an alumni event held on Lab.

JPL and Caltech have long been committed to partnering with United Way, playing just a small part in the much larger Los Angeles area effort to support a broad spectrum of United Way-supported social service and health care agencies.

35 years ago,  JPL gained a cultural mascot: our very own Voltage the Raccoon!

On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Delta II Heavy launch vehicle carrying the rover "Opportunity,” or “Oppy,” for the second Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission launched 7 July 2003 at 11:18:15PM EDT.

Helen Ling became a supervisor for the computing group in the 1960s, a team who was responsible for performing trajectory calculations. Throughout her time at JPL, Ling developed software for the IRAS, Magellan, TOPEX/Poseidon, and Mars Observer missions, and retired in 1994. 

JPL’s many ethnic, cultural and religious heritages fused into a colorful panorama around the warm and sunny Mall as the 1983 American Heritage Week was celebrated.

This photo, taken 7 October 1970, shows a “File Improvement Workshop,” which was a program on efficient filing procedures.

Phyllis Ward Riggle was one of the original female engineers at JPL. A 1944 graduate of Pomona College, Claremont, she joined JPL in 1950 as a member of the Computing Staff, and as a mathematician with various JPL groups.

Building 111 has been standing on Lab for over 70 years! When this photo was taken in June 1952, you could find a plethora of resources in Building 111.

6 January marks the 55th anniversary of the launch of Surveyor 7! The last lunar lander of the American unmanned Surveyor program, Surveyor 7 was sent to explore the surface of the Moon in preparation for the upcoming Apollo missions.

This photo, taken 6 June 1955, depicts one of those skilled testers and the individual responsible for maintaining the Environmental Test Laboratory (ETL), Leonard Marsh, “model[ing] protective clothing which must be worn in the low temperature and humidity chamber [in the ETL, Building 82].”

Sixty years ago, the 1962 autumn issue of Vogue Australia featured a fashion spread that included an unlikely location backdrop – the Parkes Observatory radio telescope antennae in New South Wales, Australia.

Throughout history, various foreign dignitaries, royals, and international VIPs have traveled from around the globe to witness the fantastic work of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA.

A joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency, Cassini spacecraft was a keystone of exploration of the Saturnian system and the properties of gaseous planets in our solar system.

Dr. William H. Pickering began his tenure as Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on this day in 1954.

5 September 2021 marks the 45th anniversary of the Voyager 1 launch! Formerly known as Mariner Jupiter-Saturn 1977 or MJS77, Voyager is the most distant artificial object from Earth.

11 August 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of JPL’s conversion to the dial telephone system! In 1952, the Lab had the largest and most modern telephone exchange in the entire Pasadena area, about 75% of the Lab’s incoming calls were direct-dialed.

JPL has a long-standing tradition of employee participation in sports and recreational activities that have enhanced the well-being of JPLers and contributed to team building here on Lab.

The Space Flight Operations Facility (SFOF) has been undergoing so many renovations over the past few years! This side-by-side, taken 1964-09-03 and 2021-09-21 show just how much SFOF has changed (or not) over time.

The JPL Photo Lab has been an integral part of the Lab throughout its tenure, creating a photographic record of JPL’s storied history. The JPL Photolab dates back to 1941, when it was first established by GALCIT Project No. 1, as JPL was then known.

It’s the 70th anniversary of JPL’s first Miss Guide Missile contest! Beginning in 1952, JPL held an annual contest for the All-Lab Summer Dance. A handful of women across Lab would become candidates, following a nomination and sponsorship from their respective supervisors.

Fears of flawed systems, calling off the landing, inoperative radar, and a gimbal lock warning never stopped the astronauts guiding Apollo 16 to a safe lunar landing, making this the fifth American flag implanted on the Moon.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the JPL Archives has put together a digital collection of historic women who have supported and continue to support the outstanding missions of JPL.

On 17 July 1952, the first class of The Corporal Guided Missile Training School held its graduation ceremony at White Sands Proving Ground (WSPG), Las Cruces, New Mexico.

JPL’s long history of participating in local and public health campaigns has included raising money with United Way, hosting regular blood drives, and bringing visiting chest X-rays onsite.

On 4 December 1996 at 1:58AM, a Delta II rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, carrying NASA/JPL's Mars Pathfinder probe.

Happy 130th Birthday, Caltech! On 2 November 1891, Throop University, named for its founder, Amos Throop, was born.

13 November marks the 50th anniversary of Mariner 9 becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet in 1971 – Mars!

1 October is International Coffee Day! These images show just how long coffee has been an important part of any JPLer’s morning.

20 September marks the 55th anniversary of the launch of JPL’s spacecraft, Surveyor II! This lander/rover was destined for the Moon, carrying with it an imaging system intended to bring back an array of lunar photos.

August 23, 1961 marks the 60th anniversary of the failed launch of Ranger 1. Launched from Atlas Agena in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Ranger 1 was the first in a series of nine spacecraft launched in the early 1960s to explore the Moon.

A long-held summer and fall tradition is the JPL Picnic. Picnics were planned by a JPL Picnic Committee and occurred every year for JPL staffers and their families.

One major piece of JPL that we’ve all been missing during this work from home period is our friendly JPL deer! Though they stop traffic in the parking lot and run across the streets on Lab, the appearance of the deer happily signifies to the Lab that it’s finally springtime.

140 years ago, on 11 May 1881, JPL founder, Dr. Theodore von Kármán, was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. Prolific mathematician, physicist, and aerospace engineer, von Kármán is responsible for multiple key advancements in aerodynamics, most notably his work on supersonic and hypersonic airflow characterization.

The library has always been an important part of JPL’s research culture, and has been a significant part of the Lab since at least the 1950s. These photos, taken 27 October 1952, show one of the early iterations of the JPL Library.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we’d like to highlight a very unique organization within JPL: the Advisory Council for Women (ACW).

22 March marks the 75th anniversary of the first American rocket to escape Earth’s atmosphere, the JPL-Ordnance WAC!

JPL has had many famous and interesting visitors over the years, from fellow scientists, to film industry stars, to musicians, to reporters, and many more. One of our most notable visits was from legendary actor and diplomat, Sidney Poitier.

Were you hit by Cupid’s bow or just the JPL Archery Club!? In this photo, taken 27 March 1957, former President of the JPL Archery Club, Sr. Electronic Technician, Don Hoff “gets assistance from Marlene Foshay...Miss Guided Missile candidate, in the removal of a real misguided missile.”

Happy New Year! Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses Foundation, this photo depicts the JPL entry to the Rose Parade in January 1976.

The holiday season has always been a jolly time at JPL. Starting as early as 1944, we see comical advertisements for the annual GALCIT Christmas Party.

JPL has been hosting bi-annual blood drives in conjunction with the Red Cross of America since at least 1951. This image, taken during the drive held 13 April 1955, depicts a JPL nurse drawing blood from a JPL donor.

9 September 2020 marks the 45th anniversary of the launch of Viking Orbiter 2.

6 October celebrates the 30th anniversary of the launch of Ulysses.

In November 1957, Scott Aviation Corporation was invited to hold a training session next to the JPL fire station, demonstrating how to use their Scott Breath Air Pak.

This month we remember Dr. Peter T. Lyman, who passed away in May 2020, with a series of photos from his tenure as Deputy Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

In 2018 JPL celebrates the 60th anniversary of America’s first satellite, Explorer 1.

An orrery was built for NASA/JPL by Pre-Mec Engineering, Inc. and was designed by JPL engineer Raymond A. McCreary (Design Section, 356 – part of the Engineering Mechanics Division).

In August and September 1977, two Voyager spacecraft were launched on a Grand Tour of the solar system. In 1973, the mission had been named Mariner Jupiter-Saturn 1977 (MJS ‘77) and was intended to go only as far as Jupiter and Saturn.

In December 1994, a group of Mars Pathfinder team members gathered for a photo with the Sojourner Rover model.  They were working on rover technology development efforts about two years before the anticipated launch date.

In October 1967, Mariner 5 had just reached Venus, JPL was looking forward to the 10th anniversary of Explorer 1 and the launches of Surveyor 6 and 7 to the Moon, and Mariner 6 and 7 were in development.

In the 1970s and 80s, before advanced computer graphics, artist Ken Hodges was hired by JPL to create paintings that depicted many different missions – some in the planning stages and some only imagined.

In early 1989, a series of thermal tests were conducted on the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Instrument, which was part of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).

In January 1953, JPL was in the market for its first digital computer.

On October 31, 1968 JPL celebrated the 32nd anniversary of the first rocket motor tests in the Arroyo Seco.

This photo shows the “Transmitting Station” at what was then called the Goldstone Deep Space Instrumentation Facility (also known as the Goldstone Tracking Station or GTS).