JPL Technology

05/11/2023

It's pretty cool when over 30,000 folks get tickets to come and see where you work especially when everyone is totally engaged. It's also very humbling 😊

For space fans the chance to explore the famed campus is a golden ticket.

05/11/2023

Humans started with a fixed planetary lander, progressed to wheeled exploration , then aerial flight with the helicopter. Now we are building snake robots to explore where the others can't.

A versatile robot that would autonomously map, traverse, and explore previously inaccessible destinations is being put to the test at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

03/18/2023

Antennas for space want to be big - bring more data back - but spacecraft are small. So let’s find a way to make the big ones small. And 3D print them.

New technology is a key to helping NASA advance its long-term exploration goals for the benefit of all. To support its effort, the agency announced Thursday it will create two new institutes to develop technology in critical areas for engineering and climate research.

03/09/2023

When we transmit by laser communication or look at the faintest galaxy, we need to see each & every photon. So we build detectors called “single photon detectors” - of course. They’re also used for quantum computing with record accomplishment. Take a look:

A new JPL- and Caltech-developed detector could transform how quantum computers, located thousands of miles apart, exchange huge quantities of quantum data.

03/02/2023

We drive single on planets with mostly humans in the loop-they’re called rover drivers, of course! How about 3 small rovers acting like one that communicate and collaborate to split up duties with NO human in the loop? Take a look:

NASA’s Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Explorers (CADRE) project is developing a network of shoe-box-sized mobile robots that could enable future autonomous robotic exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

03/01/2023

25yrs ago we debated whether planetary surface mobility would be important -Pathfinder/Sojourner tech demo ended that. 2yrs ago we debated whether planetary air mobility would be important -Ingenuity tech demo ended that. It’s at 40 flights & counting https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/ #

The Mars Helicopter is a technology demonstration to test powered flight on another planet for the first time.

02/28/2023

It's really special to work with folks that inspire and teach generations. Congratulations to JPL'er Dave Miller for his election to the National Academy of Engineering

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

12/06/2022

Exploring places like the Moon require the ability to operate in ultra cold temperatures without exhausting power from the spacecraft via heating systems. This is why the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing the COLDArm which can withstand extremely cold temperatures. This technology will help further space exploration.

Future planetary missions could explore in extremely cold temperatures that stymie existing spacecraft, thanks to a project under development at JPL.

12/06/2022

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“ of the rovers will map the surface and subsurface of the moon 🌑”

11/21/2022

Like a car’s crumple zone, the experimental SHIELD lander is designed to absorb a hard impact.