William Pickering

William Pickering was a pioneering American scientist and engineer who played a key role in the early days of space exploration. As the head of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1954 to 1976, he oversaw the development of many important missions, including the successful Mariner and Viking spacecraft that explored Mars. Pickering’s leadership helped advance humanity’s understanding of our solar system and established foundational technologies for space exploration, making him a critical figure in the history of space science.