Historical Photo of the Month - November 2006

1936 Rocket Motor Test
Photograph Number P-9005A

On October 31, 2006 JPL celebrates the 70th anniversary of the first rocket motor test in the Arroyo Seco near JPL. A group of Caltech students and local rocket enthusiasts gathered there to do a series of tests on October 31, November 15 and 28, and January 16 the following year. In the photo above, the participants are tentatively identified as Jack Parsons (wearing the dark vest), Frank Malina (at right), and Rudolph Schott (in short sleeves). This photo appears to have been taken during one of the November tests; the same day as the famous "nativity scene" photo (P-9007A).

Some of the photographs of the 1936-37 testing were used in the Report of the GALCIT Rocket Research Project, No. RRP-1, written in April 1937. The full set of photos was also brought to JPL in 1968 and copied by the JPL Photolab, to be used in the dedication ceremony for the plaque that commemorates the early tests. Unfortunately, detailed descriptions, exact dates, and names were not provided along with the photos. The entire photo series can be seen in an online photo album -- photos P-8996 through P-9080, along with the index at the end of the PDF file. (JPL internal access only)

For more information, see the article on JPL's public web page. For more detailed information about early rocket motor testing at JPL, see a list of History Collection Documents and contact the JPL Archives for assistance. [Archival sources: Photo albums, photo index, various History Collection documents, Dec. 1968 Lab-Oratory article.]

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