As part of its van Kármán Lecture Series, Jet Propulsion Laboratory presents “Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On: Designing Tomorrow’s Space Missions.” The lectures take place today, June 20, at 7 p.m. at von Kármán Auditorium at JPL, 4800 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena and Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m. at Caltech’s Ramo Auditorium, 1200 E. California Blvd. in Pasadena. The host both nights is Brian White. The speaker on Thursday is Dr. Randii Wessen, JPL systems engineer, A-Team lead study architect, JPL Innovation Foundry. Friday night speaker is Steve Matousek, JPL Advanced Concept Methods manager (A-Team), JPL Innovation Foundry.

Attendees will “walk through the lifecycle of a mission from its start as a crazy idea, to concept, to development, construction, testing and launch.”

Admission and parking are free for all lectures, no reservations are required, and seating is limited.

JPL’s Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, presented by the Communications and Education Directorate, aims to bring the excitement of JPL’s missions, instruments and other technologies to an audience of both JPL employees and the general public.