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result, known as JPL2025, is a huge success and leads to unprecedented prosperity for the JPL in terms of the number of missions funded by NASA to them. In 2016, he became the director of solar system exploration at the JPL, where he was responsible for all the missions to planets in the outer part of the solar system.
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In 1990, he was appointed the leader of a group that does advanced radar research with aircraft. They are developing several new techniques to take pictures of the Earth (and other planets) using special radars. In 1995, van Zyl became head of all radar research at the JPL. In 2000, he became deputy
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In 2003, van Zyl was the deputy director and in 2006 the director of astrophysics at the JPL. Under his leadership, various missions were launched, including the
Spitzer and Kepler telescopes. In 2011, he became the co - director of the JPL with responsibility for developing the JPL's strategy. The
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from the same organization for his contributions in the field of radar research. He was honored in 2015 with an honorary doctorate in
Engineering by the University of Stellenbosch for his work. He had been married to his wife, Calfie, since 1979, and lived in Altadena, California, until his death.
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Van Zyl was named Global Young
Engineer of the Year by the International Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 1997, and in 1998 he was recognized as a Fellow, an honor bestowed on less than 1% of the organization's members. In 2010, he received the Distinguished Achievement Award
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head of the organization that implements and launches all of JPL's missions around the Earth. One of the most important missions is the
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Co-director of JPL Director of
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262:( Caltech ) in 1983. In 1986, he completed his PhD in electrical engineering at Caltech and then joined the
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where he obtained an honours degree in electronic engineering
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which was launched in
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Van Zyl was admitted to
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Stellenbosch
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186:Stellenbosch University Honorary Doctorate (2015)
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182:IEEE Global Young Engineer of the Year (1997)
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229:(February 24th 1957 - 26 August 2020) was a
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
16:Namibian electrical engineer (1957–2020)
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