“They were a bunch of adventurous kids, trying to mix chemicals at Caltech and see which one blows up more. This is the story of JPL."

Born and raised in Lebanon, Dr. Charles Elachi always looked out for what's beyond his mundane life in the city of Zahlé. After studying physics in France, Elachi travelled west.

In 1970, he joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he worked on the construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecrafts. After getting 4 master's degrees and a PhD from Caltech, Elachi became the director of JPL. Under his tenure, NASA launched Genesis, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and most importantly the Mars Curiosity Rover.

He then became the Vice President of Caltech and now is a professor emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Planetary Science there.

He wants the young space enthusiasts to know that JPL can be their "serious playground". With innovation and multiple mistakes, JPL managed to send the most technologically advanced rover to Mars. So what's stopping you?

Listen to "All Roads Lead to Space (feat. Dr. Charles Elachi)" this Friday on all streaming platforms.