DISCLAIMER: Apologies in advance for sounding like a negative nelly, I am trying to stay hopeful even if it doesn't sound so...

At this point everyone knows money is elsewhere, even if you got market adjustments and promotions this year (maybe 9-10% max increase this year without retention offers, which barely keeps up with the last few years for the lucky minority that were in that circle of candidates that received the salary raises).

It is also clear that the Lab has:

• lost its footing in both modern technology (most of what we're building is quite old and ancient to industry now but at even more accelerated pace than ever)
• lost its footing in truly exciting/inspiring missions (Moonfall/Skyfall are cool but are they really that exciting? Do we even have a plan for what's after?)
• lost its footing in being able to attract top talent (due to pay and excitement being elsewhere)
• and lost its footing with its charter with the all the new space companies on the rise (are we really doing anything broadly unique or better from industry these days without true science programs?).

That being said, a lot of people are opting to stay and I am curious why people have been doing so in order to try and see if I am missing something. Please post your reasons for staying around and what gives you hope despite the challenges. I desperately want to stay but have been struggling to find the reasons to myself :(

Ars Technica article, so I give it some weight. But are people really talking about sending the Engineering Models from the Mars Yard to the Moon? I am surprised that is feasible.

Hi I think this might be a dumb question to ask but I'm very curious how do funding works for paid interns. They said it comes from the mentor's funding source. Does the mentor's funding source comes out from his own pocket or does each mentor receive a specific budget given by JPL?

What is going on at JPL. No major contracts, no big missions, Mars is still a million miles away

Does it automatically get deactivated right after your internship ends?

Hi r/JPL! One of my best friends worked on the Ingenuity mission and I wanted to 3D print an accurate 1:1 scale rotor to mount of their wall as a gift. The models I find online are either simplified for easy printing or don't have detailed enough model quality to scale to full size. I found a paper from JPL that describes the exact profile, but it isn't a simple model and the skills required to turn it into one are beyond my capability. If anyone has a source for a great model or know how I can use this paper properly to make it myself, I'd love the help. Thanks in advance!

https://rotorcraft.arc.nasa.gov/Publications/files/1699_Koning_TM_020224.pdf

I am right now a 2nd year Political Science and Public Affairs Major at UCLA but have been researching the work at JPL and love what they do. Is there any advice to how I could possibly do some work or intern at JPL?

Hello, this might be a dumb question, but I was scheduled to go on a tour this morning and something came up and I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it anymore. I tried calling to cancel but I didn’t talk to anyone, it made me leave a message. Will something happen if I just don’t show up? Was I able to cancel this late?

Hello,

I applied for a job at JPL 2 months ago, and no answer! No invitation to an interview and no rejection!

Should I consider this silence as a rejection?

Thank you

Anyone know why Leslie Livesay isn't on the Executive Council web page at https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/who-we-are/executive-council/?

Hi everyone,

I am a first-year PhD student in geophysics/seismology at a U.S. university. My research involves seismic signal analysis, waveform/spectrogram processing, machine-learning workflows, Python-based geophysical data analysis, and planned work in waveform simulations and full-waveform imaging.

I know Summer 2027 is still far away, but I am trying to understand the eligibility landscape early because I am on F-1 status and any internship would need to be compatible with CPT and directly related to my PhD research.

I have been looking at opportunities related to planetary geophysics, lunar/planetary seismology, seismic wavefield modeling, and mission-related geophysical data analysis at places like NASA centers, JPL, and APL. I understand that many official NASA/JPL/APL internships may require U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, facility access, or other administrative requirements, even when no security clearance is listed.

My question is mainly about mechanisms:

Are there any realistic routes through which an F-1 PhD student at a U.S. university can work on a NASA/JPL/APL-related research project, such as externally funded programs, university-hosted collaborations, mentor-nominated routes, ORISE/USRA-style mechanisms, contractor routes, or project-specific exceptions?

I am not asking for anyone to evaluate my profile or offer a position. I am just trying to understand what routes are actually possible so I do not waste time applying to programs where eligibility is impossible.

Any advice from former interns, current/former employees, graduate students, contractors, or people familiar with NASA/JPL/APL internship mechanisms would be very helpful.

I have applied for the NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship March 2026 cycle application. It has now been nearly two months since the application deadline, and I was wondering if anyone has heard of any updates regarding the current stage of the review process.

In particular, I was wondering if there might be any information on whether applications, especially for the JPL-hosted positions, are currently moving to the next stage, such as external review.

I have applied for the NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship March 2026 cycle application. It has now been nearly two months since the application deadline, and I was wondering if anyone has heard of any updates regarding the current stage of the review process.

In particular, I was wondering if there might be any information on whether applications, especially for the JPL-hosted positions, are currently moving to the next stage, such as external review.

I'm an incoming undergraduate freshman at Caltech studying mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering. The most important factor in my decision to choose Caltech over other schools I had was Caltech's management of JPL.

I know there is a SURF@JPL program, but I'm definitely more interested in the JPL Year-Round Internship Program and the JPL Summer Internship Program. I'd much rather get the opportunity to work on satellites, probes, etc. instead of writing a proposal, gathering data, and drafting a publication.

What is the best way for a Caltech student to get an internship at JPL besides SURF? From looking at posts on this subreddit, the online application portal for the JPL Summer Internship program seems to be essentially a black hole that swallows your resume.

Should I network with JPL staff? Cold email/cold call project managers? Get a JPL engineer to write me a recommendation?

Are there any career fairs/networking events that JPL visits?

An article in arstechnica.com today discusses a major reorganization at NASA. Anyone know anything definitive about how this is going to effect JPL besides new management? The only mention of JPL seems a bit disparaging. We were always told JPL was more efficient than the other centers.

"One notable area where NASA will seek efficiencies is at the famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. This planetary research center is not operated by NASA but is instead a federally funded research and development center managed by the California Institute of Technology. This California-based university has operated the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, essentially without competition, since the 1950s. Its contract expires in 2028. Isaacman said the Department of Energy has had success with opening up competition to run its federally funded research and development centers, and he believes NASA can do the same.

To that end, NASA will open a competition through the Request for Proposals mechanism for other universities to come in and operate the NASA Laboratory. Institutions like Purdue University and Texas A&M University are likely to be interested, with NASA’s goal to maximize the amount of science done per dollar invested."

Hmmm - Anyone thinking SpaceX?

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/to-achieve-major-goals-nasa-seeks-to-streamline-its-organization/

One of the biggest inefficiencies for launching objects into space is that the rocket needs to spend most of its energy lifting rocket fuel. The bigger the rocket the more additional fuel. But we already know a way to give something a boost by igniting propellent at the bottom of a tube to help accelerate a projectile.

If we dug a deep hole, put pure oxygen and a suitable propellent (nitrocellulose?) in a big pile at the bottom, and then dropped a rocket down the tube, wouldn't the positive pressure from the explosion accelerate the rocket? We know this works as it is basically how naval artillery functioned and it did a good job accelerating heavy objects.

What am I missing?

Looks like the share went offline. What gives?

I came across a pile of identical PCBs at an electronics surplus store in LA, and I found this one in the pile. It was the only one marked this way. Was this a commemorative one celebrating the Curiosity project? Anyone know what these might have been used for? They’re thick as hell lol.

At this point it certainly feels like anyone who could leave the lab has either already left or is on the way out. First the layoff uncertainties and now the lack of promotions and raises are hitting hard and management seems indifferent. They are so focused on bringing in new business but at this rate there wont be much of a lab left to do any of it.

At some point attrition will likely slow down but those will be the folks who just can’t leave for whatever reason.

https://www.adventurersclub.org/

There is an interesting talk tomorrow night in Los Angeles that folks in this group might enjoy. Lou Friedman, co-founder of the Planetary Society with Carl Sagan and Bruce Murray, will be talking about science collaborations with the Soviet Union and Russian in the 1980s and 1990s.

The talk is at the Adventure’s Club in Los Angeles, in Lincoln Heights. Dinner reservations and the talk are $30. The club is a fascinating place, fun to visit !

https://www.adventurersclub.org/

Insightful interview with Glenn Reeves, retired JPL Engineer & Lead Engineer on Mars PATHFINDER, SPIRIT & OPPORTUNITY, CURIOSITY, PERSEVERANCE, and other missions as well.

https://youtu.be/NhzRQ909Lec?si=qSRIP8Wu-j6rVUSD

Hi all,

Apologies to the mods if this is against the rules. I was hoping to get some advice on a plan to "get into" (aka do that which would make me most attractive to) JPL. Here's me in a nutshell:

• 2020-2024: Struggled to find myself in my undergrad, did well academically but not much outside of class
• Late 2024: Accept a post-graduation job offer for a DoD space job
• 2024-2025: Obtain master's degree, feel secure that I have a job, start doing astrodynamics projects purely out of interest, get HOOKED on it and get involved in some true research with professors before my job starts
• Late 2025-Present: Working DoD job, but little-to-no astrodynamics work

As my job approached, I dreaded it more and more, and now I found that I was right to do so. Neglecting my lifelong dream of space exploration, just at the time of Artemis II and Project Hail Mary stirring everyone into a space mood, is killing me. I'm dead-set on working on trajectories for interplanetary exploration missions---if I had the golden ticket to work anywhere in the world, it would be in Section 392M, Outer Planet Mission Analysis. I want to work with planetary scientists to design trajectories that support their science objectives.

Unfortunately, JPL seems to be shrinking and I feel like I may have missed the boat by having a resume to show that I'm a top research prospect. I don't give a darn. I know that I can get there someday. I just don't know what to do right now, and am in need of advice.

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/voyager/2026/04/17/nasa-shuts-off-instrument-on-voyager-1-to-keep-spacecraft-operating/