Wildfires came disturbingly close to Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Satellite photo using JPL instruments of an earlier California wildfire
The main campus of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Oak Grove, California was experiencing technical difficulties—wildfires approaching the facility. On Sunday, it was closed to employees except for “essential personnel.”
The facility is used to develop spacecraft, including Mars rovers. It’s a critical part of NASA’s planetary missions. And it’s being threatened by a very terrestrial foe. The fires have already burned more than 35,000 acres of land…and was only a few miles away from JPL.
The latest reports say the threat is diminishing, but heavy smoke is still a problem.
Last year, a page was put up on NASA’s JPL website highlighting the agency’s efforts to help firefighters contain wildfires by providing satellite photos.
