Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Jack Parsons (rocket engineer)

Jack Parsons (rocket engineer)

This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page unless you are renominating the article at TFAR. For renominations, please add {{collapse top|Previous nomination}} to the top of the discussion and {{collapse bottom}} at the bottom, then complete a new nomination underneath. To do this, see the instructions at {{TFAR nom/doc}}.

The result was: not scheduled by Brianboulton (talk) 01:33, 20 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The GALCIT Rocket Research Group in 1936 (Parsons on the far right)

Jack Parsons (1914–1952) was an American rocket and chemical engineer, rocket propulsion researcher, inventor, businessman, writer, and occultist. He was one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Aerojet; both both began under the GALCIT Rocket Research Group (pictured, with Parsons front right), which developed jet-assisted takeoff for the U.S. military. Parsons invented the first castable, composite solid rocket propellant, and pioneered the advancement of both liquid and solid-fuel rockets. After a brief involvement in Marxism, he converted to Thelema, the English occultist Aleister Crowley's new religious movement in 1939. He joined the Agape Lodge, the California branch of the Thelemite Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) in 1941, and replaced Wilfred Talbot Smith as its leader in 1942. With his friend L. Ron Hubbard and wife Marjorie Cameron, he conducted the Babalon Working, a series of rituals designed to invoke the Thelemic goddess Babalon. He resigned from the OTO after his former girlfriend Sara Northrup and Hubbard defrauded him of his life savings, and became a consultant for the Israeli rocket program. Amid the climate of McCarthyism he was accused of espionage and banned from all classified projects, effectively prohibiting him from working in rocketry. He died in a home laboratory explosion; the police ruled it an accident, but associates suspected suicide or murder. (Full article...)

Most recent similar article(s):
Main editors: JJARichardson, Midnightblueowl
Promoted: 6 January 2015
Reasons for nomination:
Support as nominator. I encountered this article when I was asked to review it at FAC, based on my known affinity for mad scientists. Since then I've been recommending it to friends as reading. I thought maybe everyone would enjoy it as much as I did. Hawkeye7 (talk) 21:13, 12 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Looks good. I made minor tweaks. - Dank (push to talk) 00:49, 13 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Speaking as one of the main contributors to this article, I think that Halloween (October 31) would be an ideal date as 1) the GALCIT Group's first successful rocket test which led to the creation of JPL took place on October 31, 1936, a detail which could be added to the TFA template (the photo below could be used) and 2) there is an obviously paranormal and devilish connotation to the Parsons story. This is a while away though, so Parsons' death date (June 17) or 101st birthday (October 2) are other options. JJARichardson (talk) 17:54, 13 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

File:Rocket-motor-test-browse.jpg GALCIT Group, Halloween 1936

Procedural comment - There are only 4 "non-specific" slots. The nominator should have waited for another article to be selected first, or removed one which had more oppose than support (the latter not being likely). — Crisco 1492 (talk) 23:26, 13 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Also, about the image: File:JackParsons3.jpg does not show a reverse. Copyright notices were generally not printed immediately on the image (who'd want to reuse that?) but, if included, they were on the back of the file photo. Unless we've been able to find a copy with the back showing, or a source which explicitly states this is public domain, I don't feel comfortable showing this on the MP. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 23:33, 13 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

With this in mind I've replaced the photo with that of the GALCIT Group from November 1936, a fairly iconic image from the history of the U.S. rocket program. JJARichardson (talk) 21:43, 14 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]