Parks, Robert J., 1922-

Robert J. Parks was born April 1, 1922, in Los Angeles, CA. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1944. Parks then served two and a half years in the Army, and six months at Hughes Aircraft before joining the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in April 1947. Parks retired from JPL in June 1987.

Parks served as an Engineer in the Guidance and Control Section for three years before serving as Section Chief of the Guidance and Control Section, re-named the Guidance Analysis Section, from 1950-56. From 1956-57, he was Division Chief of the Research and Development Division. In 1957, he became Project Director of the Sergeant, serving until the program was phased out by JPL in June 1960. From 1959-60, Parks also served as Chief of Department III, Guidance and Electronics.

In May 1960, Parks became Director of the Planetary Program, and served as Manager of the early Mariner spacecraft. In December 1962, the Lunar Program Division and the Planetary Program Division merged, and Parks was named Assistant Laboratory Director (ALD) for Lunar and Planetary Projects. The Office of Lunar and Planetary Projects changed its name in 1968 to the Office of Flight Projects, with Parks continuing as ALD.

In March 1978, Parks was asked by Laboratory Director Bruce Murray to personally take charge of the Voyager Project, which had had some problems since the launch of the two spacecraft in August and September 1977. Parks served as Project Manager of Voyager from March 1978 to March 1979.

In September 1981, Parks left the Office of Space Flight to become Associate Director for Space Science and Exploration. He served in this capacity until the retirement of Deputy Director Charles H. Terhune, Jr. at the end of December 1983. Parks was named to succeed Terhune as JPL Deputy Director at the beginning of January 1984. Parks served as Deputy Director until his retirement at the end of June 1987.

Parks was awarded with the NASA Public Service Award in 1963 and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1967. Amongst his honors, Parks was awarded the Louis W. Hill Award in 1963, and the Goddard Astronautics Award in 1980, both from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the Stuart Ballantine Medal from the Franklin Institute in 1967. In 1973, Parks was elected to the National Academy of Engineers.