Jack N. James

Background

Jack Norval James was born on 22 November 1920 in Dallas, Texas, growing up in Oak Cliff, Dallas, where he graduated from Sunset High School.

Education

He studied at the Southern Methodist University, graduating in electrical engineering in 1942. Following apprentice work at the General Electric Company, and service as a naval radar maintenance officer in World World War II, he studied for a master"s in electrical engineering (1949) at Union College, Schenectady, New New York

Career

His work as a Project Manager for National Aeronautics and Space Administration"s Mariner program in the 1960s included the first planetary flyby (of Venus) and first photographs by a space probe of Mars. During this postwar period he also worked at the Malta Test Station, and made trips to the testing grounds at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. He briefly worked for Radio Corporation of America, before transferring in 1950 to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) in Pasadena, California, where he worked for the next 36 years.

During his early years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, James worked on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-5 Corporal and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-29 Sergeant guided missiles.

As the work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory changed from military rockets to spacecraft, he worked on the Pioneer 4 lunar probe and other missions. In 1961, he was named Project Manager of the Mariner Venus Project that led to the success of Mariner 2 which carried out the first ever planetary flyby, passing Venus on 14 December 1962.

James was also Project Manager for the Mariner Mars Project that led to Mariner 4"s successful flyby of Mars on 14 July 1965. These were the first successful planetary encounters, and the first missions to return data from Venus and Mars.

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In 1974, James was honoured with the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, the Southern Methodist University.

By the time of his retirement on 1 January 1987 James had held several positions as an assistant laboratory director (ALD) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including leading its technical divisions from 1967 to 1972. James died aged 80 on 7 August 2001 in Pasadena. His autobiographical account of his life and the history of the space programs he worked on, In High Regard, was privately published posthumously in 2006.

In 2011, James was included in the Southern Methodist University"s list of History Makers as part of their centennial celebrations.

Achievements

• He received commendations for his work from several United States Presidents, and his awards include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1965) and the Stuart Ballantine Medal (1967). Foreign his work on the Mariner program, James was presented with a public service award from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and received awards from Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. His awards include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1965). Foreign outstanding accomplishment in the design, development and flight operation of Mariner II and Mariner IV.

Membership

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]

He was elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and was a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Connections

colleague:

Stuart Ballantine