William H. Pickering: America's Deep Space Pioneer - Jet Propulsion Laboratory Leader, Explorer 1, Ranger and Surveyor Lunar Missions for Apollo Preparation, Mars and Venus Probes (NASA SP-2008-4113)

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Physics, Astrophysics & Space Science, Other Sciences, History
Cover of the book William H. Pickering: America's Deep Space Pioneer - Jet Propulsion Laboratory Leader, Explorer 1, Ranger and Surveyor Lunar Missions for Apollo Preparation, Mars and Venus Probes (NASA SP-2008-4113) by Progressive Management, Progressive Management
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Progressive Management ISBN: 9781465807700
Publisher: Progressive Management Publication: January 17, 2012
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Progressive Management
ISBN: 9781465807700
Publisher: Progressive Management
Publication: January 17, 2012
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

This official NASA history document - converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction - tells the amazing story of the life and work of Dr. William H. Pickering, leader of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). On the first day of February 1958, three men held aloft a model of Explorer 1, America's first Earth satellite, for the press photographers. That image of William Pickering, Wernher von Braun, and James Van Allen became an icon for America's response to the Sputnik challenge. Von Braun and Van Allen were well known, but who was Pickering? From humble beginnings in a remote country town in New Zealand, Pickering came to California in 1928 and quickly established himself as an outstanding student at the then-new California Institute of Technology (Caltech). At Caltech, Pickering worked under the famous physicist Robert Millikan on cosmic-ray experiments, at that time a relatively new field of physics. In 1944, when Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was developing rocket propulsion systems for the U.S. Army, Pickering joined the workforce as a technical manager. He quickly established himself as an outstanding leader, and 10 years later, Caltech named him Director of JPL. And then, suddenly, the world changed. In October 1957, the Sputnik satellite startled the world with its spectacular demonstration of Soviet supremacy in space.

Pickering led an intense JPL effort that joined with the von Braun and Van Allen teams to answer the Soviet challenge. Eighty-three days later, on 31 January 1958, America's first satellite roared into Earth orbit. A few months after that, Pickering's decision to affiliate JPL with the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration set the basis for his subsequent career and the future of NASA's ambitious program for the exploration of the solar system. In the early days of the space program, failure followed failure as Pickering and his JPL team slowly ascended the "learning curve." Eventually, however, NASA and JPL resolve paid off. First the Moon, then Venus, and then Mars yielded their scientific mysteries to JPL spacecraft of ever-increasing sophistication. Within its first decade, JPL-built spacecraft sent back the first close-up photographs of the lunar surface, while others journeyed far beyond the Moon to examine Venus and return the first close-up views of the surface of Mars. Later, even more complex space missions made successful soft-landings on the Moon and on Mars. Pickering's sudden death in March 2004 at the age of 93 was widely reported in the U.S. and overseas. As one NASA official eulogized him, "His pioneering work formed the foundation upon which the current program for exploring our solar system was built."

The foreword states: "William Pickering was a modest man, but his achievements were legion, as the reader will learn from this wonderfully illustrated and very readable biography. He was a spaceflight and rocket engineer and the revered leader of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Pasadena in the early heady days of space exploration. The author had the inestimable advantage of knowing Bill and being able to interview him and subsequently, after his death, having full access to his papers. Douglas Mudgway, also a New Zealander by birth, graduated from the University of New Zealand before moving to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1962 following a 15-year career in Australia in the field of guided missile research."

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This official NASA history document - converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction - tells the amazing story of the life and work of Dr. William H. Pickering, leader of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). On the first day of February 1958, three men held aloft a model of Explorer 1, America's first Earth satellite, for the press photographers. That image of William Pickering, Wernher von Braun, and James Van Allen became an icon for America's response to the Sputnik challenge. Von Braun and Van Allen were well known, but who was Pickering? From humble beginnings in a remote country town in New Zealand, Pickering came to California in 1928 and quickly established himself as an outstanding student at the then-new California Institute of Technology (Caltech). At Caltech, Pickering worked under the famous physicist Robert Millikan on cosmic-ray experiments, at that time a relatively new field of physics. In 1944, when Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was developing rocket propulsion systems for the U.S. Army, Pickering joined the workforce as a technical manager. He quickly established himself as an outstanding leader, and 10 years later, Caltech named him Director of JPL. And then, suddenly, the world changed. In October 1957, the Sputnik satellite startled the world with its spectacular demonstration of Soviet supremacy in space.

Pickering led an intense JPL effort that joined with the von Braun and Van Allen teams to answer the Soviet challenge. Eighty-three days later, on 31 January 1958, America's first satellite roared into Earth orbit. A few months after that, Pickering's decision to affiliate JPL with the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration set the basis for his subsequent career and the future of NASA's ambitious program for the exploration of the solar system. In the early days of the space program, failure followed failure as Pickering and his JPL team slowly ascended the "learning curve." Eventually, however, NASA and JPL resolve paid off. First the Moon, then Venus, and then Mars yielded their scientific mysteries to JPL spacecraft of ever-increasing sophistication. Within its first decade, JPL-built spacecraft sent back the first close-up photographs of the lunar surface, while others journeyed far beyond the Moon to examine Venus and return the first close-up views of the surface of Mars. Later, even more complex space missions made successful soft-landings on the Moon and on Mars. Pickering's sudden death in March 2004 at the age of 93 was widely reported in the U.S. and overseas. As one NASA official eulogized him, "His pioneering work formed the foundation upon which the current program for exploring our solar system was built."

The foreword states: "William Pickering was a modest man, but his achievements were legion, as the reader will learn from this wonderfully illustrated and very readable biography. He was a spaceflight and rocket engineer and the revered leader of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Pasadena in the early heady days of space exploration. The author had the inestimable advantage of knowing Bill and being able to interview him and subsequently, after his death, having full access to his papers. Douglas Mudgway, also a New Zealander by birth, graduated from the University of New Zealand before moving to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1962 following a 15-year career in Australia in the field of guided missile research."

More books from Progressive Management

Cover of the book Art of War Paper: Operations at the Border - Efforts to Disrupt Insurgent Safe-Havens, Dhofar, Oman, Insurgency, Counterinsurgency by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Military Justice in Combat Zones: Iraq and Afghanistan War Case Summaries of U.S. Marine Corps Haditha; Army Maywand District Killings, Army Mahmoudiyah Iraq, Investigations by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Marine Corps Aviation Intelligence: A DOTMLPF-P Analysis - USMC Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Air Intelligence Analysis Reveals Imperative to Refocus ISR Support for Future Operations by Progressive Management
Cover of the book The Petersburg and Appomattox Campaigns 1864-1865: The U.S. Army Campaigns of the Civil War - Crossing the James River, Deep Bottom, Autumn Operations, Hatcher's Run, Fort Stedman, Lee, Grant by Progressive Management
Cover of the book U.S. Army Medical Correspondence Course: Therapeutics IV - Digestive, Antacids, Antiemetics, Endocrine, Insulin, Hypoglycemic, Adrenocortical Hormones, Ergot Alkaloids, Contraceptives by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Changing Dynamics of the U.S.-China-Latin America Relationship: China's Economic Interest in Latin America, Military Cooperation, U.S. Trade with Mexico, American Foreign Policy Issues by Progressive Management
Cover of the book The Role of Autonomy in DOD Systems - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Robotics, Teleoperation, Haptics, Centibot, Swarmanoid, LANdroid, Remote Presence, UxV, DARPA Research, Space and Ground Systems by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Apollo and America's Moon Landing Program: Unconventional, Contrary, and Ugly: The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (NASA SP-2004-4535) - Design and Development, LLTV, Armstrong by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century U.S. Military Manuals: U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) MAGTF Marine Air-Ground Task Force Aviation Planning Fleet Marine Force Manual (FMFM) 5-70 by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century U.S. Military Documents: Weather for Aircrews - Air Force Handbook 11-203, Fundamentals of Weather, Text for Flight Training Programs, Air Masses, Aircraft Icing, Ceilings, Storms by Progressive Management
Cover of the book The Difficult Road to Mars, A Brief History of Mars Exploration in the Soviet Union - The Inside Story of Numerous Mission Failures from Russia's Leading Spacecraft Designer (NASA NP-1999-06-251-HQ) by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Ukraine in Perspective: Orientation Guide and Cultural Orientation: Geography, History, Economy, Society, Security, Religion, Traditions, Urban and Rural Life, Crimea, Ethnic Groups, Military by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Complete Guide to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Project - Spacecraft, Instruments and Mirror, Science, Infrared Astronomy, GAO and Independent Review Reports, Congressional Hearings by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Sustainment of Expeditionary Forces in the Pacific Theater During the Second World War: The Development of the Advanced Base and Mobile Base Programs and Their Relevance Today - Sea Basing, Logistics by Progressive Management
Cover of the book U.S. Military Deployments to Africa: Lessons from the Hunt for Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) - Uganda, Sub-Saharan Africa, Special Operations (SOF), People's Liberation Army (SPLA) by Progressive Management
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy