Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge,California,Crescenta Valley,United States. Founded in 1936 by Caltech researchers,the laboratory is now owned and sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and administered and managed by the California Institute of Technology.
Lew Allen Jr. was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as the tenth Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief of staff,Allen served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization,training,and equipping of 750,000 active duty Air Force,Air National Guard,Air Force Reserve,and civilian personnel serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,he and the other service chiefs function(ed) as the military advisers to the Secretary of Defense,the National Security Council,and the president.
Susan Jane Helms is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general and NASA astronaut. She was the commander,14th Air Force;and commander,Joint Functional Component Command for Space at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
General Larry D. Welch is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who served as the 12th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As Chief of Staff,he served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization,training and equipping of a combined active duty,Guard,Reserve and civilian force serving at locations in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,he and the other service chiefs functioned as the principal military advisers to the Secretary of Defense,National Security Council and the President. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Nuclear Weapon Surety Task Force for the Defense Science Board.
General Donald Joseph Kutyna is a retired United States Air Force officer. He was commander in chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the United States Space Command from 1990 to 1992,and commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base,Colorado from 1987 to 1990.
Ralph Edward "Ed" Eberhart is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He served as the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command,Peterson Air Force Base,Colorado. He was in charge of NORAD during the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Claude Robert "Bob" Kehler,is a retired United States Air Force general who served as Commander,United States Strategic Command from January 28,2011,to November 15,2013. He previously served as Commander,Air Force Space Command from October 12,2007,to January 5,2011. As a commander of the Air Force Space Command,he was responsible for the development,acquisition and operation of the Air Force's space and missile systems. He oversaw a global network of satellite command and control,communications,missile warning and launch facilities,and ensured the combat readiness of America's intercontinental ballistic missile force. He led more than 39,700 space professionals in providing combat forces and capabilities to North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Strategic Command. He was also responsible for the plans and operations for all U.S. forces conducting strategic deterrence and Department of Defense space and cyberspace operations. He officially retired from the Air Force on January 1,2014,after nearly 39 years of service.
William Lee Shelton is a former United States Air Force four-star general who last served as the commander of Air Force Space Command from January 5,2011,to August 15,2014. He had been the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and Air Staff Director. He had served as chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer,Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Shelton held numerous positions of leadership throughout the United States Air Force. He retired from the Air Force on September 1,2014.
TacSat-2 is the first in a series of U.S. military experimental technology and communication satellites.TacSat-2 (also known as JWS-D1 was an experimental satellite built by the USAF's Air Force Research Laboratory with an operational life expected to be not more than one year as part of the "Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration" program.
General Lance W. Lord is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as Commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.
Thomas Samuel Moorman Jr. was a United States Air Force officer who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from July 1994 to August 1997.
Retired Maj. Gen. Roosevelt Mercer Jr.,SES,is the director of the Interagency Planning Office (IPO) for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) at the Federal Aviation Administration where he provides high-level leadership for interagency and international collaboration related to NextGen. He executes the collaborative processes needed to ensure efficient coordination among all federal partners whose decisions impact NextGen. The federal partner agencies include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),Department of Defense (DoD),Department of Homeland Security (DHS),Department of Commerce (DOC),National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB),National Science Foundation (NSF),and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),as well as the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as an ex officio participant. Mr. Mercer is charged with providing executive direction to a dynamic multi-agency and international partnering organization focused on future NextGen technology,policy,and collaborative activities.
Brigadier General Cary C. Chun is a retired senior officer of the United States Air Force. He served as the Deputy Commander,Operations and Interagency Integration,Joint Functional Component Command for Space,United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM),and the Director for Mission Operations,National Reconnaissance Office. In this role,he led all Department of Defense space forces aligned with USSTRATCOM and provided tailored,responsive,local and global effects in support of national,USSTRATCOM and combatant commander objectives. As Director for Mission Operations,he led operations for all NRO overhead reconnaissance systems,ground stations,operational communications,and the operations center used to conduct intelligence activities essential for the national security of the United States and its allies.
Eugene L. Tattini is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and served as deputy director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from July 2001 to September 2013.
Alvin Roubal Luedecke was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II. He commanded the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project after the war. After retiring from the Air Force in 1958,he became the General Manager of the United States Atomic Energy Commission. He was appointed Deputy Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1964 and was the acting president of Texas A&M University from 30 March 1970,to 1 November 1970.
Laurie Leshin is an American scientist and academic administrator serving as the 10th Director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and as Vice President and Bren Professor of Geochemistry and Planetary Science at California Institute of Technology. Leshin's research has focused on geochemistry and space science. Leshin previously served as the 16th president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Joseph Sylvester Bleymaier was a major general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1941,and flew 25 combat missions in the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II.
Matthew Wolfe Davidson is a United States Air Force major general who serves as the commander of the Second Air Force. He previously served as the deputy director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency from 2023 to 2024.
While the United States Space Force gained its independence on 20 December 2019,the history of the United States Space Force can be traced back to the beginnings of the military space program following the conclusion of the Second World War in 1945. Early military space development was begun within the United States Army Air Forces by General Henry H. Arnold,who identified space as a crucial military arena decades before the first spaceflight. Gaining its independence from the Army on 18 September 1947,the United States Air Force began development of military space and ballistic missile programs,while also competing with the United States Army and United States Navy for the space mission.
Charles Houston Terhune Jr. was a United States Air Force (USAF) lieutenant general who played an important role in the development of the American jet aircraft,guided missiles and ballistic missiles.
