A.G.B.U. Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Visits JPL

On Monday, November 28th, the members of Science Club were presented with the opportunity to visit the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, located in La Cañada Flintridge. There, the students met up with AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian alumni, Armand Seuylemezian (Class of 2012) and Armand Yerjanian (Class of 2013), who gave a very informative tour of the center.

The first stop was the Mission Control Room, where the typical workspace of an aerospace engineer was introduced. These engineers can get access to any satellites they need, and they are the ones that spearhead important NASA missions. It was awe-inspiring and surreal to see the room where history often gets made. Following this, the students visited the Spacecraft Assembly Facility. This is a type of “clean” room (a room that remains sterile) where all the necessary equipment for shuttles and spacecraft are made. Even though the room is very large, it has to remain extremely clean to ensure that the equipment there does not get contaminated, damaged, or altered. Armand also took the visitors to The Mars Yard, the area where the actual Mars Rover was tested out.

Overall, AGBU students were impressed by the inner workings of JPL. Armand advised that getting an internship at JPL would definitely be very beneficial for one’s career. By the end of the trip, the students felt that they were more knowledgeable about the world of science and engineering.

A.G.B.U. Vatche & Tamar Manoukian High School, 2495 East Mountain St., Pasadena, (626) 794-0363 or visit www.agbumhs.org.