In the von Kármán Auditorium and the Laboratory’s Visitor Center Museum, you can learn more about the early years of JPL, including its involvement in the launch of America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, which led to the formation of NASA. You’ll also find full-scale models of some of our most beloved spacecraft, including Voyager, Galileo, and the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
“Seeing JPL from the inside is a wonderful experience, and we hope this virtual tour creates the same wonder,” said Veronica McGregor, manager of JPL’s Digital News and Media Office. “We plan to expand the tour with more venues later this year so people can return again and again.”
The virtual lab tour is a collaboration between the JPL Digital News and Media Office and the Public Services Office, which handles personal tours and other visitor activities. The expertise of the tour staff, who were introduced to the laboratory by thousands of visitors each year, was invaluable in creating the dozens of attractions included at each virtual tour stop. Personal tours at JPL have been suspended since March 2020 due to the pandemic.
Another goal is to offer virtual tours for classrooms. “Our staff will now be working virtually with schools and teachers to help them navigate this new online tour through JPL,” said Kim Lievense, manager of the public services office. “As with our personal tours, specific points of interest are designed with the appropriate curriculum in mind.”