New Jet Propulsion Lab Director Laurie Leshin

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: This episode centers on Lori Leshin’s new leadership of JPL, the lab’s future priorities, and the mission portfolio she must steward, while also exploring Casey Dreyer’s essay on Contact and a policy update on Russia and the ISS. The show emphasizes JPL’s technical excellence, culture, and role in inspiring the public, alongside a playful closing segment on the night sky and space trivia.

Main Topics: Lori Leshin’s vision for JPL leadership: Leshin discusses becoming JPL’s first woman director, her respect for the lab’s legacy, and her plans to learn the organization deeply while guiding its future. Mission delivery and risk management: She highlights the need to strengthen mission execution after challenges like Psyche, while protecting high-priority programs such as Europa Clipper, Mars Sample Return, and Earth science missions. JPL’s future, technology, and changing space ecosystem: Leshin frames JPL’s role in seeding future technology and adapting to a more commercial, competitive space sector with new launch providers and partnerships. Culture, inclusion, and workforce development: A major priority is making JPL a place where everyone can thrive, with emphasis on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and maintaining JPL as a great workplace. Casey Dreyer on Contact and science as inspiration: Dreyer argues that Contact remains an unusually thoughtful and spiritually resonant film that captures the joy of discovery and Sagan’s faith in humanity and the cosmos. Russia, Roscosmos, and the ISS partnership: The discussion interprets Russia’s announcement about leaving the ISS after 2024 as rhetoric rather than immediate policy, noting no concrete steps yet and stressing the importance of actions over words. Night sky, trivia, and community engagement: Bruce Betts closes with skywatching tips, a history note on JPL, a McDLT/WJWST comparison, and listener trivia, reinforcing the show’s educational and playful tone.

Key Arguments: Lori Leshin argues that JPL’s immediate duty is mission success, especially after setbacks like Psyche, while also learning from failures and protecting future flagship efforts. She says JPL must invest in future capabilities and align technology development with where science is headed, not just current missions. Leshin contends that JPL’s value is larger than NASA alone because it serves the nation and must remain essential in a rapidly changing space ecosystem. She emphasizes that JPL should be a place where people from all backgrounds can succeed, making culture and inclusion a strategic priority, not just an HR issue. Casey Dreyer argues that headlines about Russia leaving the ISS should be judged by actual actions, not rhetoric, since no concrete withdrawal steps have been taken. Dreyer says Contact is exceptional because it presents discovery as emotionally thrilling and portrays science as a sacred, human, and hopeful pursuit. The episode suggests that public inspiration matters: space missions can unify people, encourage curiosity, and model the best of human achievement.

Data Points: JPL director position: 10th director - Lori Leshin says she is the 10th director in JPL’s 80+ year history. First woman director: 1st - Leshin is the first woman to lead JPL. JPL tenure milestone: 86 years - She notes it took 86 years for a woman to lead the lab. Mars Curiosity landing anniversary: 10 years - Conversation references the 10th anniversary of Curiosity’s landing. Mars Pathfinder anniversary: 25th anniversary - Leshin mentions the upcoming 25th anniversary of Mars Pathfinder. Voyager anniversary: 45th anniversary - The episode notes the upcoming 45th anniversary of Voyager’s launch. ISS-Russia partnership statement: after 2024 - Russia said it intends to separate from the ISS partnership after 2024. Russia-US astronaut launch partnership: 10 days - Leshin notes the U.S. and Russia signed an astronaut launch partnership just 10 days earlier. JPL town hall attendance: 4,000 - Leshin’s first town hall had about 4,000 JPLers online and in person. JPL summer interns: 500 - She says JPL has 500 interns that summer. Europa Clipper launch timing: a little more than 2 years - Leshin says Europa Clipper will launch in a little more than two years. SWAT launch window: end of November / beginning of December - She says the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission is expected to launch around then. Voyager signal travel time: 18 hours - Bruce Betts notes the light time to Voyager is 18 hours from Earth.

Pivotal Quotes: "Rhetoric is cheap, right? Rhetoric is free. People can spout words like I do frequently... Actions, how you spend money and resources, that tells you something." — Casey Dreyer: Used to explain why Russia’s ISS withdrawal announcement should be judged by observable policy and spending, not headlines. "The thing that keeps you going through those challenges is the inspiration that I get from the science that we're doing every single day." — Lori Leshin: Describes what motivates her as JPL director amid mission and management pressures. "Contact the book is Sagan's personal act of devotion, a statement of his faith for the cosmos as of yet beyond our comprehension." — Casey Dreyer: From the read excerpt concluding his essay on Contact and its spiritual/scientific themes.

Implications: Listeners come away with a clearer view of JPL’s priorities: execute missions reliably, invest in future tech, adapt to a commercialized space sector, and preserve a culture that inspires the public and workforce. The episode also frames science and exploration as deeply human and values-driven.