3 ms·
I'm not sure that NASA designs much. JPL designs and builds most of the probes launched by NASA. JPL is an anomaly in the Federal Government where it gets good
by fasteddie31003 5y ago
I'm not sure that NASA designs much. JPL designs and builds most of the probes launched by NASA. JPL is an anomaly in the Federal Government where it gets good results. It would be interesting to look into how JPL does so well relative to other agencies and contractors such as Boeing (which is a national embarrassment).
- Loic 5y agoPeople with passion. JPL people were/are (and I hope will continue to be) believer in the purpose of what they are doing.
- aero-glide2 5y agoInterestingly, the author himself works for JPL.
- basementcat 5y agoJPL is the only NASA center that is staffed by non civil servants and managed (under contract) by a private organization (Caltech). By law this gives them certain flexibility that other NASA centers aren’t afforded (e.g. Caltech has lobbyists in Washington DC). It may make more sense to categorize JPL with other Federally Funded Research and Development Centers such as Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
- jacobr1 5y agoJPL employees are actually private employees of CalTech not federal employees.