One week ago, the MESSENGER spacecraft transmitted to Earth the first high-resolution image of Mercury by a spacecraft in over…
Larry Hudson and James Smith worked on a ground validation test with new fiber optic sensors that led to validation…
A dramatic new Chandra image of the nearby galaxy Centaurus A provides one of the best views to date of…
In 1949, the "Bumper-WAC" became the first human-made object to enter space as it climbed to an altitude of 393…
On March 22, 1956, preliminary satellite tracking tests began in a field near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The antenna is…
Before the launch of Explorer 1 in 1958, most of JPL's work involved rocket and missile development for the U.S.…
On Jan. 20, 1958, technicians lowered the Explorer 1 satellite payload onto the launch vehicle's fourth-stage motor. The photo was…
James Van Allen of the University of Iowa poses with a rocket model. Van Allen designed one of three science…
In late 1957, teams at JPL worked on the complex pieces required to build the Explorer 1 satellite. Here, Explorer…
A model of Explorer 1, held by JPL's Director William Pickering, scientist James Van Allen and rocket pioneer Wernher von…
