JPL at 90: Caltech, JPL and What's Next
Professor Emeritus (Caltech), Head of Space Exploration Sector (JHU APL), Director (JPL)
A panel discussion marking 90 years of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, exploring its foundational partnership with Caltech, landmark missions, and future directions in space exploration.
In 1936, a small group of Caltech students and self-taught rocketeers tested a rocket motor in the Arroyo Seco. Ninety years later, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which Caltech manages for NASA, has sent spacecraft to every planet in the solar system.
In this Techer Live conversation, recorded during Alumni Weekend, three people whose careers span the Lab’s history discuss how the partnership between campus and Lab turns scientific questions into missions. They cover the early days in the Arroyo, Mars landings, AI in space exploration, and how new technology makes it onto a mission.