Penn-Trafford grad leads ‘Moon Fall’ mission at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Ray Baker, a project lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has come a long way from his days of reading and watching films about space exploration in his family’s Penn Township home. Having worked 25 years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena, Calif., is a dream come true, Baker said. Melton suspects his former student’s ability to lead and work with others is helping him at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He briefly worked for a privately funded space startup, BlastOff Corp., before starting at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2001. This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of people who work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the distance the MoonFall drones will be able to cover with each jump.