The first half of 2025 was supposed to be headlined by a series of long-awaited milestones for space exploration, including the debut of Blue Origin’s New Glenn, the next flight of SpaceX’s Starship, and the announcement of a new architecture for NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission. AmericaSpace went so far as to draft two articles for the New Glenn launch, which will still be released later this weekend. However, any excitement associated with these milestones has since been overwhelmed by the wildfires which have ravaged the Los Angeles area over the past four days. The scale of the tragedy is heartbreaking, and the people of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have felt some of the worst effects of this fire.
For anyone who is unaware of the situation in Pasadena, this appeal opens with a short description of the fire, JPL’s essential role in the space program, and how the center has been impacted by this disaster. If you already know this background information and are looking for ways to help the JPL community, please skip ahead to the end of the article for a link to the lab’s disaster relief fund.
While JPL has played an integral role in the United States’ space program for over 60 years, this is undoubtedly the most perilous moment in its history. Wildfires are an ever-present hazard in California, but they are typically confined to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and do not spread into the densely-populated Pasadena area. This week’s Eaton fire, in contrast, posed a direct threat to the lab, and it remains in some danger as of this writing.
In large part, the wildfire is the result of unusually dry conditions during California’s winter months. While the state is known for its arid summers, it typically receives several inches of rain from December through March. This past month, Los Angeles received just 0.1 inches of rain. Combined with strong winds produced by a high-pressure system to the east, it was a worst-case scenario for the LA basin. The Eaton Fire began in the eponymous Eaton Canyon, a valley at the base of Mount Wilson. Low-resolution photographs taken by local residents show that the ignition point was located near a group of power lines, but the direct cause has not yet been determined.
The Eaton Fire quickly spread to the southeast, entering the town of Altadena. JPL, located on Altadena’s western margin, was also in its path. At one point, the flames were just 2,000 feet (600 meters) from the first of the campus’ facilities, including the Flight Electronics Facility and the Mars Yard, which houses the ground-based twins of the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. Due to shifting wind directions, the fire ultimately stopped its advance towards the lab. However, it remains uncontained, so JPL remains at some risk if the wind changes course again.
It is no exaggeration to say that JPL is irreplaceable. It is unquestionably the world’s leading center for robotic planetary exploration. JPL has built dozens of NASA’s most famous spacecraft, beginning with Explorer 1, America’s first satellite. The missions which have left its doors include the Mariner probes which gave us our first glimpse of the inner planets; the Surveyor landers which proved it was safe to land men on the Moon; the twin Voyagers, which completed the “Grand Tour” of the giant planets; the flagship Cassini mission to Saturn; and every Mars rover, from Sojourner through Perseverance. JPL’s creations made the inaugural flybys of every single planet in the Solar System.
JPL’s facilities include two large cleanrooms to build and sterilize planetary probes, a state-of-the-art mission control center which is used to monitor and command them, and dozens of buildings to house the dozens of teams of engineers and scientists who are actively working on planetary missions at any one time.
Alongside JPL, it is worth noting that the Mount Wilson Observatory is in a dire situation. While it is no longer a leading center for space science, Mount Wilson is a key part of our spacefaring heritage. It is the place where humanity discovered the size and scale of the universe for the first time. Using Mount Wilson’s 100-inch telescope, Edwin Hubble discovered the first galaxies beyond the Milky Way and proved that the universe is expanding. Today, it is an educational center which makes its massive telescopes available to the public, thereby sharing the wonders of the night sky with the next generation. It is a peaceful place with a stunning view of Los Angles from over a mile in the clouds. Sadly, one of the observatory’s buildings is confirmed to have been destroyed, and the status of its other domes and towers is presently unknown.
The potential loss of space history at JPL and Mount Wilson is sad. The human toll, however, is far worse. In the final analysis, organizations are only as great as the people whom they employ. Buildings are just steel, computers, and windows; logos are nothing more than a collection of words, colors, and symbols. Even if the Los Angeles Fire Department saves JPL’s physical assets, they will be empty historical relics without the people who work there.
The only reason why JPL boasts a six-decade track record of success is because of its 5,500 employees. Many of these men and women chose to work at JPL instead of taking more lucrative jobs in the private sector because they wanted to take part in the grand adventure of the exploration of the Solar System. In the process, they willingly accepted the many hazards associated with the center’s geographical location, which include earthquakes and drought in addition to wildfires.
The Eaton Fire has destroyed the northern half of Altadena, a welcoming and affordable town which many JPL employees call home. According to JPL Director Laurie Leshin, over 150 center employees have lost their homes, and that number is likely to rise as the damage is assessed in the days ahead. The community has lost entire neighborhoods, houses of worship, schools, and the Eaton Canyon State Park, a popular recreation site.
On a personal note, I have been fortunate to work alongside JPL employees on a number of projects over the past decade. I owe my position as a planetary scientist to them and to the many lessons which they have taught me. I can say with confidence that you will never meet a more welcoming and creative group of people. In this challenging moment, they deserve our assistance.
That is why we urge you to donate to the Caltech/JPL Disaster Relief Fund. This fund is directly administered by the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL. 100% of your donation will be used to support JPL and Caltech employees who have lost their homes. The more money we contribute, the more each of them will have to support their families and begin rebuilding their lives. Images from JPL missions have helped millions of people, young and old, connect with their sense of wonder and appreciate the beauty of the universe. The least we can do to repay that debt is to support them in this time of need.
Donation link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1709/devassoc/giving/giving.aspx?sid=1709&gid=3&pgid=1320&cid=2582&fid=2582
