von Kármán Lecture – Space is Hard: The Agony (and Inspiration) of Defeat

There are lessons in defeat. This month’s talk will discuss several notable failures in the course of JPL’s history of exploration and the incredibly valuable lessons from them.Did you know the loss of a Mars spacecraft led to a new system that lets us never lose contact during critical maneuvers? Or that a failed spacecraft antenna helped make better mobile phones? Space is hard; join us to hear how JPL turns setbacks into motivation.This is a free event; no tickets or reservations are required.▶︎ Online registration coming soonAbout the SeriesThe Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, named after JPL’s founder, and presented by JPL’s Office of Communication and Education, brings the excitement of the space program’s missions, instruments and other technologies to both JPL employees and the local community. Lectures take place twice per month, on consecutive Thursdays and Fridays. The Thursday lectures take place in JPL’s Theodore von Kármán Auditorium and are streamed live via Ustream, and Friday lectures take place at Caltech. Both start at 7:00 p.m. Admission and parking are free for all lectures. No reservations are required, but seating is limited. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.Find CaltechLive! on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.Connect with JPL on social media.