Brief

NASA recalls 'Mr. JPL' and a Rocket Man

Dr. William H. Pickering, a central figure in the U.S. space program and former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., passed away March 15 at his home in La Canada Flintridge, Calif. He was 93.

Pickering, known affectionately as "Mr. JPL," served as director from 1954 to 1976. He was an original "Rocket Man," and one of few public figures to appear twice on the cover of Time magazine.

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/mar/HQ_04094_pickering.html.