I was invited/made aware of the chance to Tour the JPL for free via Facebook, and Jeffery said he'd like to go, too; so I got tickets, and we went. I can't tell you how cool it was being with folks who are doing such amazing things, and being among their adoring crowd of admirers. We got to meet the people who do the actual work and dream up the ideas and solutions, and who so enjoy "playing with their toys" which make our world and future better. It fills me with hope and excitement to know these folks are here in the world, and reminds me that there are LOTS of such people out there, doing their work quietly for our benefit.
The trip down was also part of the wonderful adventure as Jeffery and I crossed the big state we live in and discovered how diverse and food-producing it is. And the geological diversity was fabulous. I do thank gosh for air conditioned cars! It was super hot in the big Valley.
Here's our Voyage of Discovery for you to sample. Hope I can fit it all on one page!
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| Me next to one of the bells that mark El Camino Real; the King's Road |
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| Jeffery loves these bells. Missions line the route. |
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| Mission San Miguel; a treat we didn't expect to find so readily available, so we had to stop. |
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| Loved the cactus. |
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| Hot Day, cool Mission |
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| Junipero Serra |
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| Excellent model of the Mission made by prisoners back in the 1940's, if I remember correctly |
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| As per all the Missions I've seen, the hand-painted wall decorations are simply beautiful |
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| A painted archway |
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| shelving built into the wall |
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| San Miguel slays the Devil |
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| There was a wedding about to happen, so we stayed to watch the bride come down the aisle with her parents. |
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| Pretty altar area |
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| There are still Friars!!! |
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| Tiny and Charles. |
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| part of the Cemetary |
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| The bell tower |
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| Memorializing the Salinan People who lived here along the Salinas River before the Missionaries came |
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| All the way down, we kept seeing great fields and cities of these derricks |
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| About to drive over Tejon Pass (4144 ft. elev) and into the L.A. area |
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| view from our hotel in Sherman Oaks (Santa Monica), which was on Ventura Ave. |
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| We approach the JPL with a slew of others |
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| Welcome to our Universe! How can we resist!? |
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| Me and my ticket, which they took when we entered |
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| Me looking goofy as I tell Sean, who worked on the Curiosity Rover, how much I admire him and his team |
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| The model of the Curiosity Mars Rover. I met the Transportation Manager who moved all the equipment and "toys" into the viewing areas for us to enjoy |
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| Model of the Opportunity Rover, much smaller. The actual Rover is still operating after 13 years, when its original mission was for 90 days! I cry in wonder and awe. |
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| when you see the footprints on Mars........ |
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| We entered the actual Mission Control, where all the space faring devices are monitored. When you watched the technicians cheer and slap eachothers' backs as Cassini emerged from its first fly through the rings, this was where it happened |
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| Jeffery and I in Mission Control |
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| One room of Mission Control |
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| Cassini Mission Ace! |
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| Jeffery needs an ice cream to beat the heat |
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| Viewing the Clean Room where the parts of the next Mars Rover are being assembled. Yes, those are the actual parts. |
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| another view |
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| A cigarette break is made available in the shade. |
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| This robot is called King Louie, and he's a transformer, and those are some of the team that built him. |
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| King Louie folds up and prepares to break-dance for us. |
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| Is he standing on his head or his feet? |
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| One last view |
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| This fellow was showing us the protective material and structure of the landing "ball" that contains equipment being sent down to distant planets to land on the surface. Beside him is a rock-buggy that Karl Van Petten wishes he had. |
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| This area described the work being done to make the crawlers adhere to surfaces where low or no gravity makes sticking to the surfaces Vital to the mission. Some can crawl upside down. The gecko was the inspiration. |
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| This is John, the self-described Foot Specialist, since he makes the materials that coat or make up the wheels of all the different little machines. He was a blast to listen to, as he clearly LOVED his work. |
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| yes, what if? |
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| One more photo of my hero |
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| This is for my sister Sara, who loved the Voyager mission. We were told that we are still in communication with the Voyager 1, even though it has left the solar system! |
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| me in a space suit. |
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| Jeffery in a space suit. |
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| Headed back to Santa Cruz, which will take us around 6 or so hours. What a blast!!!! |
Thank you, you beautiful people at Nasa JPL! I've only shown a tiny bit of what we saw and heard and learned, but the best part was the people who have made it all possible. A dream come true!
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