Jack Parsons
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
John Whiteside Parsons (born Marvel Whiteside Parsons on October 2, 1914 – died June 17, 1952), was an American rocket propulsion researcher at the California Institute of Technology and co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Aerojet Corp.. He was also an enthusiastic occultist, and one of the earliest American devotees of Aleister Crowley.
His formal education was limited, but Parsons demonstrated tremendous scientific aptitude, particularly in chemistry. His rocket research was some of the earliest in the United States, and his pioneering work in the development of solid fuel and the invention of JATO units for aircraft was of great importance. The noted engineer Theodore von Kármán, Parsons's friend and benefactor, declared that the work of Parsons and his peers helped usher in the age of space travel.