Obituary: George James, Visionary Founder of Reaction Research Society (RRS) and Rocket Research Institute (RRI) – (1926 – 2024)

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It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of George James, visionary founder of the Reaction Research Society (RRS) and Rocket Research Institute (RRI), who departed this world on September 1st at the age of 96. His passion for rocketry, and education profoundly impacted both the scientific community and generations of young minds.

In addition to his technical achievements, George was a founding member of the Reaction Research Society, one of the oldest and most respected amateur rocketry organizations in the world. George founded the RRS in 1943 while in high school. His leadership and vision within the RRS was instrumental in fostering a community of enthusiasts and researchers dedicated to the advancement of rocketry. Through hands-on experiments and rigorous testing, he helped inspire and mentor countless students, hobbyists, and professionals in the field.

Later on George founded Rocket Research Institute (RRI) which he run until his passing. George kept busy writing articles on the early days in rocketry and was very much interested in news about space. This past spring George was the recipent of the IAF Distinguished Service Award 2024.

A tireless advocate for scientific discovery and education, George remained involved mostly with RRI until his final days. His contributions to rocketry, his nurturing of young talent, and his enthusiasm for space will leave a mark on the field and on all who were fortunate enough to know him. 

I personally had the opportunity to meet George for the first time for the RRS 50th anniversary in 1993. George attended the event as well as the RRS’ 75th anniversary. Over the years I kept in touch with George and we would meet at JPL at times where he was very well known within JPL K-12 Educator Resource Center.

His memory will forever be honored through the ongoing work of the Reaction Research Society and the countless students he inspired to reach for the stars.

Check Out LACMA American Artist Exhibit this Weekend

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The Monophobic Response by American Artist is an art installation and film-based project displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from November 1–4, 2024 ( LACMA ticket(s) link). Note: Check times if you are planning to go since LACMA is closing early on Saturday.

This artwork, created through LACMA’s Art + Technology Lab, reimagines a historic 1936 rocket engine test central to early American space exploration. The installation takes inspiration from Octavia E. Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower, which explores a dystopian future set in 2024, drawing parallels between Butler’s fictional narrative and present-day sociopolitical issues.

Central to the installation is a live performance and filmed re-creation conducted by American Artist in the Mojave Desert at the Reaction Research Society’s Mojave Test Area (MTA), where the test is portrayed within a barren, haunting landscape. The project examines societal ideals of “destiny” and human survival amid technological upheaval, as echoed in Butler’s narrative of Earthseed, a fictional religious community aspiring for interstellar migration as a means of survival. 

The installation features artifacts from the rocket test, including a replica of the original engine.  Founded in 1943, the Reaction Research Society (RRS) is the oldest continuously operating amateur rocketry group in the world conducting its events and outreach around the Los Angeles area and at their private testing site, the Mojave Test Area. Based on archival drawings provided by JPL, RRS members were able to faithfully reproduce a full-scale, fully firing prototype of the 1936 Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT) liquid methanol/gaseous oxygen bi-propellant engine and static fire thrust stand designed by pioneers Jack Parsons and Frank Malina representing one of the very first liquid rocket engines made in the United States.