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JPL and the Space Age: The Pathfinders

59 minutes 56 seconds
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Black Background with text that reads, “The Pathfinders.”

It started with JPL agreeing to land something on Mars and do it in a radically different way. This is how the era NASA called “Faster, Better, Cheaper” began. This episode tells the story of a small group of engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who did not heed warnings that the audacious challenge of landing on Mars with airbags would likely not be a career-enhancing move. Part of the "JPL and the Space Age" series. Please note this title contains potentially offensive language.

Media Details

Runtime: 59 minutes 56 seconds

Black and white photo of a man posing with a small space rocket next to him. Text reads, “Frank J. Malina, The American Rocketeer, Beginnings of the Space Age.”
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 1
1 hours 29 minutes 19 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Woman with her back facing us and a man sitting next to her are on computers at a long desk. There’s a sign above the computer screens that reads, “Jet Propulsion Laboratory. California Institute of Technology.”
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 2
53 minutes 17 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
View of the moon with half of it covered in darkness
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 3
58 minutes 54 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
View of Mars in space. Text reads, “The Changing Face of Mars.”
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 4
1 hours 26 minutes
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Still image from: JPL and the Space Age: The Stuff of Dreams
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 5
1 hours 27 minutes 8 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
White glowing orb on a black background. Text reads, “The Footsteps of Voyager.”
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 6
55 minutes 38 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
View of Earth in space. Text reads, “To The Rescue.”
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 7
57 minutes 28 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Black Background with text that reads, “The Pathfinders.”
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 8
59 minutes 56 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Black and white photo of a man walking up steps to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory building. “The Breaking Point.”
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 9
1 hours 47 minutes 4 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Bright white orb on a black background. Text reads, “Saving Galileo, JPL and the Space Age.”
JPL and the Space Age
Episode 10
59 minutes 31 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
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