Inside NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Photos)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Buildings

Originally a place where students could work with rockets, JPL has now grown to a sprawling expanse of buildings.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Tour First Stop

This was our first stop on the tour.

NASA's JPL Spacecraft Assembly Facility

The spacecraft assembly building includes an enormous clean room (hence the workers wearing white clean-room suits) that hosts multiple projects.

Spacecraft Assembly Facility View

Here, we see another view of the spacecraft assembly room.

Mars 2020 Heat Shield

The heat shield for Mars 2020 was one of the projects in the spacecraft assembly room.

Mars 2020 Flight Hardware

Next to the heat shield sits more flight hardware.

Mars 2020 Flight Hardware Warning Signs

The hardware is covered in signs warning people to avoid the flight hardware.

Ken Farley, Mars 2020 Project Scientist

Ken Farley, a project scientist for Mars 2020, talks about the mission.

In the Earth Science Center

My intern/daughter, Dawn, poses with the giant globe in the Earth Science Center.

Space Flight Operations Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab

Our last official stop on the tour was the Space Flight Operations Facility.

"Lucky Peanuts" at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab

We got to see the famous "lucky peanuts!"