AUGUST Jet Propulsion 2015 Laboratory VOLUME 45
NUMBER 8 Here’s to ‘Mr. JPL’ 321 auditorium named for former Director Bill Pickering By Mark Whalen Photo by Josh Krohn
JPL’s Flight Projects Center Pickering Auditorium. that year, JPL became the agency’s auditorium has been dedicated in “His legacy shaped the JPL of only center staffed and managed honor of William Pickering, JPL’s today,” said JPL Director Charles by an educational institution. Under longest-serving director who led Elachi. Pickering’s leadership, robotic the Lab as it created America’s first Pickering joined JPL in 1944, and 10 missions to the moon, Venus and successful satellite and sent the first years later was named Lab director. Mars cemented JPL’s reputation as spacecraft to Venus and Mars. When the Soviet Union launched the the preeminent institution for deep- In a ceremony July 27, past Sputnik satellite in October 1957, space exploration. JPL leaders, dignitaries, current Pickering quickly organized a team to Elachi noted there was a lot of employees and many retirees packed design and build Explorer 1, America’s pressure on JPL during Pickering’s the venue in Building 321 as it first satellite, launched Jan. 31, 1958. tenure, due to the Cold War and was formally named the William H. When NASA was created later Continued on page 2 William Pickering(left), James Van Allen and Wernher vonBraun displayafull-scalemodelofExplorer1 atanewsconferenceannouncingthesuccessful launch. PICKERING how tolaunchthings,”hesaid. by 1969.“Atthattime,webarely knew to safelysendastronauts tothemoon President JohnF. Kennedy’s pledge who really madesuchadifference are honoring atremendous leader “It’s averyspecialdayforJPL.We JPL DeputyDirector LarryJames. building isnamedforaperson,noted 2004. Pickering retired in 1976. He died in close-up photosofMarsin1965. of Venus in1962andMariner4’s first include Mariner2’s successfulflyby Key successesunderPickering It’s rare thatafederallyfunded Imager. Reconnaissance Long Range by NewHorizons' version ofPluto A July3color his namewas permanentlyaffixed tothis auditorium.” “I knowthathewould beabsolutelythrilledtoknow Continued from page1 Beth PickeringMezitt,WilliamPickering'sdaughter grew upinAltadena,traveledfrom on education. with hishomecountry,” withafocus Pickering remained “veryconnected New ZealandinLosAngeles,said NASA ManagementOffice. identity,” saidDavidCrouch ofthe American culture, partofthenation’s became partofthefabric and thenation.” Pickering meanttothis organization the world.It’s testamenttowhat for science and exploration and for Pickering’s daughter Beth, who Leon Grice,consulgeneralof Under Pickering,“JPLreally Executive CouncilmembersTom Director LarryDumas and former Director EdStone,formerDeputy auditorium,” shesaid. name was permanently affixed to this be absolutelythrilledtoknowhis for theceremony. “Iknowhewould her current homeinMassachusetts “Mr. JPL.” when JPLersreverently calledhim Pickering’s favoritehonorscame God.” But headded that one of joked, Pickeringwas“onestepbelow Gavin andKirkDawson. Also inattendancewere former When Elachifirstcamehere, he n
Universe 2 The godfatherofGPS TomToms onautomobile dashboards to driver thathas powered innovationsfrom much more. system hadthepotential formuch, with afreshly minteddoctorate,the purposes. Butfortheyoungphysicist huge advanceinnavigationformilitary System. Foritscreators, GPSwasa the firstsatellitesinitsGlobalPositioning the DefenseDepartmentwaslaunching Larry Young (center), with Tom Yunck (left)and Tom Meehan, LakeBedintheMojaveDesertaround1986, atCoyoteDry preparingtotestaGPSreceiver. Young honored withNASADistinguishedServiceMedal In thedecadessince,GPSbecame the When LarryYoung joinedJPLin1978, researchers inavariety ofdisciplines. GPS more precise and more valuable to Awards—for hisdecadesofworkmaking highest honorgiveninNASA’s Honor Distinguished Service Medal—the Young wasrecently fetedwithNASA’s efforts oweabigdebttoYoung. and gravitystudies.Andallofthose science inareas suchasoceanresearch been acriticaltechnologyenabling smartphone locators.ForJPL,ithas Now inhis37thyearattheLab, ing methods. Young’s workalso helped spread adoptionofcodelessGPS track This pavedthewaytoindustry’s wide existing DefenseDepartment system. fied codes—oneofthefeatures ofthe GPS satelliteswithoutneedingclassi calculate positionbasedonsignalsfrom features, thereceiver wouldbeableto changing GPSreceiver. Keyamongits a JPLteamtodevelopparadigm- In theearly1980s,Young formed Photo courtesyof Tom Meehan Continued onpage4 - - -
Universe 3 SERVICE MEDAL SERVICE GPS spacereceivers. The receivers centimeter orbitaccuracy from JPL’s have followed,takingadvantage ofone- to withinafewcentimeters. Topex tomeasure heightsofsealevels racy even10timesbetter. Thisallowed satellite toachieveanastonishingaccu collect andprocess data—allowedthe with workfrom otherJPLgroups to the workbyYoung andhisteam—along timeters wasunattainable.Remarkably pinpointing itspositionwithin10cen Most expertsthoughtTopex’s goalof pex-Poseidon satellitelaunchedin1992. ceivers flewonJPL’s Earth-orbitingTo gravity andorientation.Oneofthere fines latitude,longitude,height,scale, consistent coordinate systemthatde work, applyingprecise positioningofa position accuracytoenablegeodetics It wasthefirstreceiver tooffer enough specifications from Young and his group. built for JPL by Motorola based on to makemeasurements.” encrypted bythemilitaryandusesthem as howJPLrecovers codesthatare that are buriedbackinthedetails—such fairly subtle,Young said.“Theyare things ian andmilitaryuse. GPS tobetteraccommodatebothcivil scheme foritsnext-generationofthe the AirForce architect anewfrequency Numerous ocean-altimetrymissions That workresulted inaGPSreceiver, The innovationsinGPSreceivers are Most expertsthoughtTopex’s goalofpinpointingitsposition within 10centimeterswas unattainable. Remarkably, Continued from page3 it produced results 10timesbetter. ------Larry YoungLarry bound Glendale(2)freeway en route to plate tectonicsare visiblefrom thenorth gravity-mapping mission. and flownonthesuccessfulGraillunar variant ofthereceiver wasdevelopedfor A IceSat, Jason1,2andGrace. the ShuttleTopography RadarMission, deployed onmissionsasdiverse Young’s group havebeensuccessfully payloads usingthedesigninventedby from NASA’s Earth-scienceprograms. most influentialandcompellingresults decades bythesemissions,oneofthe of sea-levelriseovermore thantwo have enabledprecise measurement The contributionsbyYoung’s group to In total,more thantwodozenGPS - said Young. “It’s acollaborativeeffort people tomakethewholesystemwork,” effort wasalotofcleverworkbyvarious “This California. throughout Southern dome. There are severalhundred others tion withanantennaprotected undera is aprecise-measurement trackingsta the 210.Oneastsideoffreeway have toputforward theirideastoo.” my responsibility; othersinthe group are productive. Ofcourse,that’s notonly good at and enjoy doing, and therefore I workwithsuppliedtheyare said. “I’d like to keep the group ofpeople a buttonholed producer of a widget,” he the innovationsgoing. which hehasledformore than30years. Positioning SatelliteSystemsGroup, his successesonteam,theGlobal occur inanearthquake.” idea ofwhere themostdestructionwill accumulated, thenwegetapretty good is lookatwhere themoststrainisbeing model atthemoment.Whatwecando the surfaceisjusttoochaoticforusto the physicsofwhatgoesonbeneath has alwaysbeento,saidYoung. “But was alwaystheHolyGrailgoldengrail” tions oftheground.” that allowsustoseesub-millimetermo “I wanttomakesure wedon’t become What’s next?Young’s goalistokeep Young modestlyputstheemphasisfor Being abletopredict anearthquake
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Universe 4 B N rie ews f s OFFICIAL VISITORS David Spergel, JohnBorghese(forMarionBlakey), BradleyPeterson, DavidFrankel, William Ballhaus.. NASA Councilmembers,Advisory fromleft: DianeRausch, KenBowersox, ScottHubbard, Wayne Hale, SteveSquyres, presentations. a weekofmeetingsand (below) visitedJPLfor the NASAAdvisoryCouncil Ten ofthe13members Asteroid Redirect Mission. gripper developedforthe a prototype Microspine Robotics Group showsher the Extreme Environment right, Aaronof Parness various JPLgroups. At the Labandmetwith Newman, whotoured Deputy AdministratorDava newly namedNASA In lateJuly, JPLhosted died July2. that in 2003guidedthe probe’s fiery entry into launch. Seventeen yearslater, sheled theteam she beganasaGalileoteammember priortoits mission toJupiter, diedJuly11. who wasthefinalproject managerfortheGalileo numerous grandchildren. Michael, Brian,MelanieandMarcella; and methods initsearlydays. computing a key factor in JPL employing modern many scientificpapers.Hisworkwasconsidered Problems’ and‘ComputerApproximations,’ and coauthor oftwobooks,‘SolvingLeastSquares software thatisstillinuseatJPL.Hewasthe Group, a unit responsible for mathematical was supervisoroftheComputationalMathematics Lawson joinedJPLin1960andretired in1996.He Charles Lawson P Alexander hadworkedatJPLsince 1986,when Claudia Alexander, He issurvivedbyhiswife,Dottie;children assings , 83,aretired mathematician, 56,alongtimeJPLscientist technology, engineeringandmathstudents. be usedforacademicscholarships toscience, www.gofundme.com/Dr-Alexander]. Thefundswill for theDr. ClaudiaAlexanderMemorialfund[http:// Home andMemorialPark. in SanJoseAug.8at11a.m.Oak HillFuneral Hollywood Hills.Asecondmemorial willbeheld brother David. in September2014. Churyumov–Gerasimenko orbit ofcomet67P/ mission, whichentered Space Agency’s Rosetta scientist ontheEuropean as the U.S. project NASA choseAlexander wave instrument. In 2000, for Cassini’s plasma as science coordinator After Galileo, she served the Jovianatmosphere. Her familyrequests thatdonationsbeconsidered Services were heldJuly25atForest Lawn Alexander issurvivedbysisterSuzanneand Claudia Alexander
Photos by Josh Krohn
Universe 5 Pasadena, CA91109. 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Education Directorate ofthe the Communicationsand Universe ispublishedby CLASSIFIED ADSAT JPL’S ONLINE NEWSSOURCE Mark Whalen Editor universe@jpl.nasa.gov READ ANDSUBMIT E-MAIL USAT http://jplspace
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