Historical Photo of the Month - December 2007

The Museum, 1948
Photograph Number JB-721

In the 1940s JPL worked under contract to the U.S. Army, designing, building, and testing missiles. Government dignitaries and members of the military would visit the Lab occasionally to see how work was progressing and to tour the facility. Building 40, at right, was labeled on a 1949 map of JPL as the "Museum." This area was just south of Explorer Road, near the current site of building 277.

Several missiles were on display in 1948: Private F (left rear), WAC Corporal B (left front), a JB-2 Loon (the American version of a V-1, right), and a V-2 (behind the tree and trailer). Other unidentified parts of rocket motors are near the center of the photo.

By 1950 some of the displays were moved into building 72, as seen in a previous Historical Photo of the Month (Photo number M-1398A). The JPL Museum is now in building 186, von Karman Auditorium, where the exhibits are seen by thousands of visitors every year, during tours and the annual open house. Two missiles, Corporal and Sergeant, are still displayed outdoors.

For more information about the history of JPL, contact the JPL Archives for assistance. [Archival and other sources: Photo albums, photo indices, and maps. JB-2 information is from the National Museum of the USAF web site.]