JPL HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS
The JPL Archives contains collections that cover the range of Laboratory
activities. Please consult the list of processed
accessions to see which missions and topics are covered. BEACON-Archives,
the searchable on-line catalog, contains bibliographic information about
processed collections that are available for research use. Records are
inventoried to the document or file folder level, and many folder listings,
available through the catalog in PDF format, can be viewed and searched
using Acrobat Reader software. Some Archives holdings, including the History
Collection, are currently indexed only in hard copy format, but will soon
be added to the catalog.
Audiovisual Materials
A collection of more than 300,000 photographs documents JPL's planetary
missions and research activities from 1936 to the present. The Archives
also maintains collections in motion picture film, videotape, and Compact
Disk--Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) formats, primarily covering planetary
missions.
History Collection
This collection was assembled in the 1970s and contains materials pertaining
to the development of the Laboratory from 1936 through 1976. Within this
collection are records of Army Ordnance projects such as Corporal and
Sergeant; NASA programs including Ranger, Surveyor, and Mariner; and other
JPL activities. The collection is indexed by author, subject and date,
A list of subject headings is also available.
Microfilm
The Archives microfilm collection includes more than 1000 reels of film
and covers:
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Administrative Reports
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Ranger Missions
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Corporal Missile
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Sergeant Missile
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Fluorine Test Cell
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Surveyor Missions
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Hydrobomb Data
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Technical Reports
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Juno Program
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Vega Project
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Jupiter Project
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Viking Missions
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Liquid Propulsion Section
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Wind Tunnels
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Mariner Missions
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There are also collections of records identified by individual names:
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J.D. Burke
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J. James
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C.I. Cummings
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J. Koukol
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W.E. "Gene" Giberson
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W.H. Pickering
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F.E. Goddard
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B.O. Sparks
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Oral History
In addition to a documentary history of JPL, the Archives has developed
an oral history program. Through the oral history program, unique personal
experiences that may go unrecorded in written documentation are captured
on audiotape and later transcribed and made available for research use.
Both current and former JPL employees thus have an opportunity to offer
significant information about their roles at JPL --- and contribute to
the overall understanding of the Laboratory's growth and development.
The transcripts available for
research use are listed in the Archives catalog.
Publications & Miscellaneous
The Archives preserves JPL publications, brochures, newsletters, clippings,
and a small collection of NASA publications. See the list of Publications
and Miscellaneous Collections.
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