Upcoming events

Dare Mighty Things 

A Short History of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Speaker: David H. Lehman

The origins of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory date back to the 1930s, when Caltech professor Theodore von Kármán oversaw pioneering work in rocket propulsion. After unsuccessful and

sometimes hazardous experiments, several of his graduate students were forced to move theirwork off campus. They chose the Arroyo Seco, a dry canyon wash north of the Rose Bowl in

Pasadena, California – and future home of JPL. This early work grew into a laboratory of over 5,000 employees that has sent spacecraft to every planet in our solar system and two spacecraftnow in interstellar space.

Mr. Lehman devoted 40 years to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, retiring in 2021 after a distinguished career helping shape the history of American space exploration. He served

in leadership roles on several milestone missions, including Mars Odyssey, Deep Space One, the lunar GRAIL mission, and Mars Pathfinder. In addition to his civilian career, he is a retired U.S.

Navy Captain, having served as a naval nuclear engineering officer and reserve commander. A recipient of multiple NASA and U.S. Navy honors, Mr. Lehman now continues his public service

as a NASA Solar System Ambassador, sharing the story and significance of our nation’s exploration of the solar system with the public.