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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
North Arroyo near Pasadena in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Founders’ Plaque

 
 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Baker, August 24, 2023
1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory Marker
Inscription. On October 31, 1936 at a site approximately 400 yards to the southeast, in the Arroyo Seco River Bed, a group of students and co-workers from the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (GALCIT), with the encouragement of Dr. Theodore Von Karman, fired their first rocket motor burning gaseous oxygen and methyl alcohol.

This test led to the creation of the Galcit Rocket Research Project in 1937, formal government sponsorship of Galcit Rocket Research in 1939-1940, and the subsequent founding of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1944.

Individuals who participated in the first Galcit Rocket test were:
Frank J. Malina • Edward S. Forman • John W. Parsons • William C. Rockefeller • William A. Bollay • Carlos C. Wood • Apollo M. O. Smith


This bronze memorial honors participants in the first rocket test in the Arroyo. The memorial was unveiled in 1968. It is known as the founders' plaque.
Not all participants were founders, and not all founders were participants. The makers omitted Qian Xuesen and Weld Arnold, who were not there, and Jeanne Bollay, who was.
In support of inclusion and historical accuracy, and to the best of current knowledge, this is the full list of those involved in the tests and research of 1936-38 that gave
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rise to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory:
JPL Founders:
Weld Arnold - Funding and photography. Edward S. Forman - Fabrication. Frank J. Malina - Analysis, theory and management. John W. Parsons - Chemistry. Apollo M. O. Smith - Analysis and theory. Qian Xuesen - Analysis and theory.
Observers and Assistants:
William and Jeanne Bollay, Nickolas G. Ivanoff, William C. Rockefeller, Rudolph Schott, Phillip E. Saurenman, Carlos C. Wood.

2023
 
Erected 1968 by Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & SpaceEducationScience & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is October 31, 1936.
 
Location. 34° 11.987′ N, 118° 10.491′ W. Marker is near Pasadena, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in North Arroyo. Marker can be reached from Oak Grove Drive, 0.3 miles north of Foothill Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Voyager Spacecraft - Interplanetary Explorers (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Space Flight Operations Facility (about 400 feet away); O. Oliver Goodall (approx. 0.8 miles away); Robert Owens
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Adam Margolis, June 10, 2018
2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory Marker
(approx. 0.9 miles away); Lanterman House (approx. 1.8 miles away); Descanso Gardens (approx. 2 miles away); Zane Grey Estate (approx. 2 miles away); a different marker also named Descanso Gardens (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pasadena.
 
More about this marker. Marker is on the JPL campus and can only be visited in one of three ways:
1. During a JPL open house. This occurs in early summer of every year and is free to attend.
2. Work at JPL or be a student at Cal Tech.
3. Tours of JPL are offered year-round, and space is limited.
 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Adam Margolis, June 10, 2018
3. Jet Propulsion Laboratory Marker
JLP Open House image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Adam Margolis, June 10, 2018
4. JLP Open House
Theodore Von Karman Dedication image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Baker, May 18, 2019
5. Theodore Von Karman Dedication
Located in the auditorium lobby.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 11, 2018, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 414 times since then and 34 times this year. Last updated on June 14, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos:   1. submitted on August 25, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.   2, 3, 4. submitted on June 11, 2018, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California.   5. submitted on May 21, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024