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Almost all of the 177 acre (0.7 km˛) JPL campus is actually located in the city of La Canada Flintridge, CaliforniaLa Canada Flintridge is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 20,318. Geography La Canada Flintridge is located at 34°12'22" North, 118°11'58" West (34. 206047, -118. According to the U, but the JPL main gate and several buildings are in Pasadena, so it maintains a Pasadena address (4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109). There are approximately 5,000 full-time employees, and typically a few thousand additional contractors work there on any given day. There are also some college student interns and co-op students. The lab has an open house once a year on a Saturday in May, when the public is invited to tour the facilities and see live demonstrations of JPL science and technology. More limited private tours are also available throughout the year if scheduled well in advance. Thousands of schoolchildren from around Southern California and elsewhere visit the lab every year.
JPL dates back to the 1930sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s Years: 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented Link Trainer invented Sc, when Caltech professor Theodore von KármánTheodore von Karman ( May 11, 1881 May 6, 1963) was an engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics during the seminal era in the 1940s and 1950s. He is personally responsible for many key advances in aerodynamics, notably began running rocket propulsion experiments on the site. During World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough, the United States Army Air CorpsWhat is now the United States Air Force (USAF) was formerly a part of the U. Army, namely the United States Army Air Corps or USAAC . It was established under this name by an act of Congress on July 2, 1926. During World War II its role grew greatly; the asked JPL to analyze the V2 rockets that were developed by Nazi Germany, as well as work on other projects for the war effort. From this study, JPL developed the Corporal rocket which was used in the Korean War. This project later evolved into the Sergeant Rocket until it was discontinued in 1958.
By 1958, JPL's government affiliation was transferred to the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and JPL's current mission of unmanned planetary exploration began. JPL retained its original name after the transition, even though any research into jet propulsion ceased after 1958.
In addition to its government work, JPL has also assisted the nearby motion picture and television industries, by advising them about scientific accuracy in their productions. Science-fiction shows advised by JPL include Babylon 5 and its sequel series Crusade.
The Space Flight Operations Facility and Twenty-five-foot Space Simulator are designated National Historic Landmarks.