Jet Propulsion Laboratory Archives: Slice of History

P-35406

Thirty-five years ago this month, the Director’s Office issued a memo announcing a new vanpool initiative encouraging JPLers to join together to make a difference for the environment.

A 1990 JPL Universe article announced: “By establishing programs designed to encourage carpooling, vanpooling, public transit, bicycling, and walking, JPL is doing its share to regain our beautiful skies and to combat the current air pollution problem in the Los Angeles Basin.”

When launching the program, then-Employee Transportation Coordinate Joseph Courtney encouraged all JPLers to consider alternative commute options.

"It's very easy for employees who live a long distance from the Lab to see the benefits of ridesharing,” Courtney said in the article. “But those employees who live within 15 miles of the Lab, making up more than 60 percent of its workforce, must realize the importance of their participation in ridesharing too."

Since 1990, thousands of JPLers have taken advantage of vanpooling and the program is still going strong: JPL currently has 57 vanpools with 395 vanpool participants, as well as financial incentives to encourage JPLers to give up their solo commute.

All these years later, Courtney — now the Division Manager of Protective Services — said he thinks the program has fared well.

“It is extremely gratifying, both personally and professionally, to see the Vanpool Program grow over three decades,” Courtney said. “Nearly doubling the average vehicle ridership from close to 1.18 in 1990 to 2.10 in 2024 is a testament to JPL’s support of alternate commute options as well as our employees embracing those opportunities.”

PSD now also offers resources and incentives for public transportation, carpooling, and bicycling, as well as a Guaranteed Ride Home program, which provides employees who rideshare to work with a ride home in the event of a valid emergency.

For more information on participating in JPL’s vanpool program and other commuting resources, check out the Travel, Commute & Parking section on the PSD website. CL#24-6248

"Slice of History" is a monthly-ish series in which JPL Archives and Lab Engagement share photos from the Laboratory's past.

The JPL Archives' mission is to document the rich organizational, mission, and cultural histories of the institution in a factual manner that uses primary resources and historical context. The content presented in this series should be viewed in the context of the time period. We recognize that some information or images do not reflect the current values, policies, and mission of JPL.

Want to learn more about the history of JPL? Visit JPL Archives Website or reach out to the JPL Archivists at archives@jpl.nasa.gov.

“Cassini team members celebrate the Huygens separation. From left are Julie L. Webster, Dave Allstad, Mona Witkowski, Paula Morgan, and Allan Lee”

The Huygens Probe successfully detached from the Cassini orbiter on 24 December to begin a three-week journey to Saturn’s moon, Titan. All systems performed as expected and there were no problems reported with the Cassini spacecraft.”

The Huygens probe, built and managed by the European Space Agency (ESA), was bolted to Cassini and had been riding along during the nearly seven-year journey to Saturn, largely in “sleep” mode. Huygens was the first human-made object to explore on-site the unique environment of Titan, whose chemistry was assumed to be very similar to that of early Earth prior to the formation of life. The probe remained dormant until the onboard time “woke it up” just before it reached Titan’s upper atmosphere a few weeks later. The data gathered during its 2.5-hour descent into Titan’s murky atmosphere was transmitted back to Cassini, who relayed the data to JPL, the DSN, and ESA’s Space Operations Center in Darmstadt, Germany.

Seven days after separating, Cassini successfully flew by Saturn’s moon, Iapetus, at a distance of 76,700 mi (123,400 km) on Friday, 31 December, marking the first close encounter of Iapetus during the four-year Cassini tour. CL#23-6610

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Dr. Carl Sagan (9 November 1934-20 December 1996), often referred to as “the scientist who made the Universe clearer to the ordinary person,” was born 90 years ago! Sagan played a leading role in the American space program from its very beginning. He was a consultant and advisor to NASA beginning in the 1950s – he even briefed the Apollo astronauts before their flights to the Moon!

A self-described childhood science fiction addict, Sagan became fascinated with astronomy when he learned that every star in the night sky was a distant sun. This early scientific and cosmological curiosity led him to pursue four degrees in physics, astronomy, and astrophysics from the University of Chicago.

In his role as Visiting Scientist at JPL, Sagan helped design and manage the Mariner 2 mission to Venus, the Mariner 9 and Viking 1 and 2 trips to Mars, the Voyager 1 and 2 missions to the outer solar system, and the Galileo mission to Jupiter. His research helped to solve the mysteries of the high temperature of Venus, the seasonal changes on Mars, and the reddish haze of Titan. In cooperation with former Lab Director, Dr. Bruce C. Murray, Sagan co-founded The Planetary Society in 1980, which today is an instrumental organization in influencing government decisions regarding spaceflight funding.

Sagan also made great strides in popularizing science through the writing of hundreds of articles and over two dozen books, even winning a Pulitzer Prize for his 1975 title “The Dragons of Eden.” Later, his television series “Cosmos” became one of the most-watched shows in public television history up to that time, viewed by over 500 million people in over 60 countries.

Carl Sagan continued to share his excitement and passion about the exploration of the universe until 20 December 1996, when complications from a rare bone marrow disease, Myelodysplasia, caused a bout of pneumonia that took his life at age 62. CL#23-6609

P-520A

An example of JPL’s historical and ongoing approach to public health, these photos document an on-Lab X-Ray clinic that was hosted in conjunction with the Pasadena Tuberculosis Association. This mobile X-Ray unit was stationed “immediately east of the JPL First Aid Room” all day on 27 July 1955, when these photos were taken. JPLers were invited to  “use this opportunity to obtain a chest x-ray on Laboratory time,” and encouraged to perform annual chest x-rays as a preventative health measure.

This became an annual health checkpoint for JPL during the 1950s, and staff would line up to take advantage. In this photo (left to right) Sylvia Granath, Ed Quick, Marie Mandroian, Dee Campbell, Ed Hane, and Russell Waldo climb the “stairway to health” and wait their turns. According to the August 1955 issue of Lab-Oratory, “[l]ast year, 437 JPL [staff] took advantage of this Laboratory service, showing an increased interest this year in preventative personal health.” CL#22-6272

P-520B

An example of JPL’s historical and ongoing approach to public health, these photos document an on-Lab X-Ray clinic that was hosted in conjunction with the Pasadena Tuberculosis Association. This mobile X-Ray unit was stationed “immediately east of the JPL First Aid Room” all day on 27 July 1955, when these photos were taken. JPLers were invited to  “use this opportunity to obtain a chest x-ray on Laboratory time,” and encouraged to perform annual chest x-rays as a preventative health measure.

This became an annual health checkpoint for JPL during the 1950s, and staff would line up to take advantage. In this photo (left to right) Sylvia Granath, Ed Quick, Marie Mandroian, Dee Campbell, Ed Hane, and Russell Waldo climb the “stairway to health” and wait their turns. According to the August 1955 issue of Lab-Oratory, “[l]ast year, 437 JPL [staff] took advantage of this Laboratory service, showing an increased interest this year in preventative personal health.” CL#22-6272