Wildfires in Southern California are not only visible from space but also posing a threat to scientists’ work in space. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena was evacuated on January 8 due to the Eaton fire and remained closed until Monday. Despite the emergency, the lab managed to retain contact with its active spacecraft.
The JPL community has been severely impacted, with over 150 staff members losing their homes and many more displaced. Many employees were asked to work from home, and a relief fund was started for Caltech and JPL communities.
The laboratory is operated by NASA on behalf of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and houses the agency’s Deep Space Network (DSN), which maintains contact with space missions like the Voyager probes and Mars rovers. The lab has been operational since 1964, but a recent evacuation due to wildfires presented a significant challenge.
Despite data processing disruptions, including some Near Real-Time data, the DSN team successfully maintained contact with its spacecraft throughout the evacuation. The laboratory’s facilities were secured, and operations have been moved to a backup center.
However, NASA officials acknowledge that the lab’s future remains uncertain due to predicted strengthening dry winds continuing through Wednesday. The scientific community is relieved that the JPL has remained undamaged, but the full extent of the impact on the lab’s operations is still unclear.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/nasas-deep-space-mission-control-is-empty-for-the-first-time-in-6-decades-as-l-a-wildfires-rage-2000550070