Jpl Engineers & Scientists Options

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

Let's start this listing with Dr Bruce MURRAY:
http://www.jaxa.jp/news_topics/interview/v...part2_p1_e.html

[vikingmars]

Conway Snyder (Viking Project Scientist at JPL*) was a man of exceptional achievements (see his orbituary herebelow).

He was also among the very first Members of the Planetary Society in 1980 when it was founded. He was very enthusiastic about TPS's goals and organization.

With Jim French (former MGCO Project Manager at JPL), he was among the "Mars Underground" speakers at the very first "Case for Mars" conference in 1981 at Boulder (**) for future visions about the human exploration of Mars, bringing to the audience JPL's experience and knowledge of Martian exploration... and taking the risk of getting NASA angry against him at a time when the space Agency was not willing to discuss those topics and ire the Senate on budget talks.

He died April 14, 2011. Unfortunately, I only received the sad news two days ago, because his family had difficulties to find my new address among his papers.

Conway's life and Mars missions achievements deserve those few lines :
(i) he spent his whole life at JPL for Mars exploration, initiating success-stories missions ;
(ii) he gave post-mortem to CalTech and JPL his whole collection of Mars documentation (that includes Mars historic globes and a lot of papers covering the history of Mars exploration with his own notes). Believe me : his office in his home was a treasure trove about the Mariner and Viking missions…

After he retired in 1984, some scientists and Mars engineers at JPL still kept contact with him : he was glad to share his great Martian experience when new Mars missions were to be decided (especially for MGCO/Mars Observer, MGS and Pathfinder).

Like others, I had great times at JPL with him : he was a great manager.
Mars scientists from other NASA Centers and Universities often visited him and he gave me the great opportunity to meet them also.

==> NASA honored him with 3 "Exceptional Scientific Achievement Awards"

…... And in July 1982, after a day work at JPL, he took his car and drove me to the Planetary Society (office located then 65 North Catalina in Pasadena) where he introduced me to Bruce Murray and Lou Friedman. I had a great and nice chat with them and I remember leaving Lou's office, so glad to be now a member of the Planetary Society, thanks to Conway (and Lou) !

Thanks again Conway. Thanks so much for all you have done for JPL and Mars exploration

 Orbituary_Conway_Snyder.pdf ( 286.37K ) Number of downloads: 803




(*) He was named by JPL in 1963 Project Scientist for the "Mariner-Mars 1964" mission, the very 1st time such a position was created for a mission to Mars. Because he was to be part of it as an Investigator, after all the teams were built and instruments selected he gave his position to Richard Sloan. He was named Viking Orbiter Project Scientist in 1969, and he replaced Gerald Soffen as Viking Project Scientist for the whole mission May 25, 1978, until May 21, 1983, end of the Viking Project
(**) Organized by Tom Meyer and Carol Stoker with Chris McKay