NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory emerges unscathed from Eaton fire, but its staff are unaffected

It's Jane. 11. airborne imaging spectrometer A team managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory flew over Los Angeles County to survey the damage caused by the historic fires.

it captured images The charred hillsides of the Los Angeles National Forest, the devastated neighborhoods of Altadena, and the 170-acre Jet Propulsion Laboratory campus west of the Eaton Fire scar.

This NASA image shows areas burned by the Eaton Fire in Altadena and nearby communities. Burnt trees and buildings in developed areas are dark brown, while burned wilderness areas, particularly in the Angeles National Forest, are shades of orange.

(NASA)

The physical building and structure of the La Canada Flintridge institution remained intact and escaped the worst of the fire unscathed. But that's not the case for its employees.

Director Laurie Leshin said about 20% of the agency's 5,500 employees had evacuated from their homes at the height of the emergency.

Approximately 210 employees lost their homes in the fire, and another 100 employees, including Leshin, may be permanently displaced due to the extent of damage to their homes or communities. There are also many evacuees who have not yet received permission to return home.

Despite the tragic circumstances, employees kept the 88-year-old agency running throughout the disaster, in some cases using decades of worst-case emergency response training for the first time.

"There's no doubt that that first night of the fire, it was a dramatic scene," Lessing said.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Management deep space networka global network of antennas that communicate with spacecraft passing by Earth's Moon. Staff are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"Twice a year we rehearse what would happen if we had to redeploy mission operations, (but) we never actually do that," Lessing said.

As the flames approached, employees, many of whom were under evacuation orders themselves, put those plans into action for the first time, temporarily transferring control of the network to the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Center near Barstow without losing any data.

"This is truly a heroic story," Lessing said. "The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a national treasure, and our people make it what it is. Their commitment to our mission is incredible and they will ensure that exploration continues, no matter what. "

The fire followed a painful and difficult year at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Which one is laid off? After NASA's budget cuts, there are 855 employees and 100 on-site contractors.

The agency is funded by NASA but managed by Caltech. one Disaster Relief Fund The campaign launched on Jan. 10 has raised more than $2 million for faculty, staff and students at the two campuses affected by the fires.

Lessing said much of the remaining cleanup and repair work at JPL was caused by wind, not fire: some roof damage and some downed tree branches. The buildings will reopen to employees next week, but employees who are able to work remotely will encouraged to do so at present.

“We are extremely grateful to the space community and their concern during this challenging time,” Lessing said. "But the exploration continues, so we'll be back."