Too Much Emphasis on JPL’s Malina and Not Enough Attention to Von Karman

When I saw the cover of the magazine on Nov. 14, I was eager to read the story about the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (“From Rocketeers to Solar Sailors,” by Marvin J. Wolf). But I felt the ap-proach was biased, with much emphasis on Frank Malina. The story implies that Malina was the driving force behind the founding of JPL. It was the brilliant Caltech professor Dr. Theodore von Karman who founded this outstanding facility.

Shirley Thomas

Professor, USC Master of Writing Program