Historical Photo of the Month - June 2006

Preparing for Visitors
Photograph Number M-1398A

In June 1950, JPL prepared for visitors by setting up this display in the Telemetering-Communications Laboratory (Building 72, which has since been replaced). It contained several pieces of equipment, including full scale missiles and rocket motors, and various motor parts. Signs, diagrams, and photos explained what the objects were and how the missile systems worked.

JPL has a long tradition of welcoming visitors and sharing information about the work done at the Lab. In the 1940s and early 1950s, JPL was under contract with the Army to design, test, and build missiles. Most of the work was classified, so the majority of visitors were military and government leaders.

In 1958, JPL was transferred from the Army to NASA and began building spacecraft to explore the planets. In April 1963, the public was invited to visit Goldstone Tracking Station, a part of the Deep Space Network located in California's Mojave Desert. In October 1965, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory invited the public to its first Open House at the Pasadena facility. Guests were invited to view several different spacecraft and models, as well as equipment used to design, build and track the spacecraft after launch.

JPL continues to open its doors to the public, holding an Open House each year in the spring. Hundreds of employees volunteer their time to share information about JPL and its missions to explore space and Earth. There are rover and spacecraft models, robots, videos, demonstrations, and activities for kids. In May 2006, approximately 29,000 people visited JPL during Open House weekend.

Archival Sources: Early JPL site maps, photo index, previous Historical Photos of the Month, and the Open House web site. For more information about the history of JPL, contact the JPL Archives.

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