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View Full Version : JPL, designed by Imagineers (or copied really good)?



MonorailMan
12-13-2002, 05:30 PM
Man, when I went to JPL, immediately, I thought of Tomorrowland (The Older One). The White buildings, the Magic Eye Theater like tour room, the Blue SM like lights down the hallways. Everything has this tomorrowland feel, including the Metal Trash Cans, with the Blue and white "Waste Please" sticker. The staircases that looked something straight out of the House of the Future. Then white swooping benches.

So, was it designed by Imageneers, or copied really good?

Tigertail777
12-14-2002, 12:48 AM
Ummm what the heck is JPL? sounds interesting whatever it is.

Ghoulish Delight
12-14-2002, 07:27 AM
Originally posted by Tigertail777
Ummm what the heck is JPL? sounds interesting whatever it is. JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) is the private enterprise based in Pasadena (Southern California) that engineers almost everything for NASA. Monorail Man was fortunate enough to tour their facilities because he was a participant in a nifty engineering competition for high school students sponsored by them.

Right now, JPLs most recongizeable product (or at least a model of it) is on display at Disneyland. The Mars rover, the one that landed there a few years back and took those pictures that were on the news constantly, was designed at JPL.

Interesting that you haven't heard of it. We So-Cal folks take JPL for granted. Everyone here knows what it is. I guess it's no as widely known outside the area.

kranders
12-14-2002, 10:15 AM
Originally posted by Ghoulish Delight
We So-Cal folks take JPL for granted. Everyone here knows what it is. I guess it's no as widely known outside the area. It's well known to anyone in the industry.:)

Sheila
12-14-2002, 08:52 PM
Up to two years ago, JPL used to offer an annual Open House where the general public could come and tour the site. (It was discontinued after 9-11.)

It was a thrill to stand in Mission Control watching while the technicians monitored the various space satellites and missions. I really felt like I was a part of history.

To answer MM's original question, as far as I could see, the JPL "campus" is fairly academic looking -- each building is a normal non-descript box dedicated to any one of their various projects.

The buildings are painted white, so I could see why there'd be a similarity to JPL and DL's 1967 Tomorrowland version.

Basically, they both have a very industrial feeling to them. It is totally possible that the design for 1967 Tomorrowland may have borrowed from the austere design of JPL and other NASA sites, but it's more likely that 1967 TL was based on the trend of optimistic space exploration in vogue during the 1960's.

YMMV,
Sheila