Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena
sending spacecraft to the planets. But I had no idea that it was very close, within a few miles of the university, or that the university was in charge of managing it. So in my first year at the university I decided to go and work part-time at the JPL – and that’s how I started. When I got my PhD in electromagnetic waves I was asked if I wanted to work full-time at JPL, so I said sure, I’ll work there for a year, or two years, and then come back to France or to Lebanon... that was 40 years ago, and I’m still there. To give you an idea about the operations of JPL: it has 5000 scientists and engineers, and we have built all the American satellites which travel to the planets. As we speak today we have 25 spacecraft
across the solar system, from spacecraft in orbit around Saturn, spacecraft roving on Mars, spacecraft orbiting Mars, spacecraft going to comets, bringing samples from comets... and probably the most famous (other than Curiosity) are the Voyager spacecraft – which were launched 35 years ago – they are still working, and now they are leaving the solar system, moving into interstellar space... If you come on a visit to JPL, and I take you to the Mission Operations Room, which is the building next door to my office – that’s what we call the “centre of the universe.” Because when you walk into the Mission Operations Room, you will see in real time what humanity has accomplished. You will be seeing signals and data coming down from spacecraft