The Bizarre Story Of Jack Parsons, The Sex Cult Leader Behind NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

 Jack Parsons was a self-taught rocket scientist who invented the fuel that would eventually send the Space Shuttle into orbit, but he also rubbed elbows with occultist Aleister Crowley and allegedly attempted to summon a sex goddess with L. Ron Hubbard.

Once upon a time, the idea of humans exploring space was relegated strictly to the realm of science fiction. That changed, however, in the mid-20th century when a group of pioneering young scientists began developing rockets and technology that would eventually put man on the Moon. Among these early trailblazers was Jack Parsons.

Today, though, Jack Parsons’ name is rarely mentioned in history books. This is strange, given his contributions to space travel — but there is perhaps a reason for it. In addition to being a brilliant rocket scientist, Jack Parsons was involved in occultist practices, particularly Thelemic rituals, a series of esoteric beliefs put forth by Aleister Crowley in the early 1900s.

Jack Parsons

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Rocket scientist and occultist Jack Parsons in 1938.

Parsons was also housemates, for a time, with the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard — although the partnership was short-lived.

What’s more, Parsons was ultimately accused of espionage, leading him to be cast out from the scientific community. Ultimately, Parsons’ short life came to a sudden, dramatic end in 1952, leaving behind a complicated — and fascinating — legacy.

The Early Life Of Jack Parsons

It was the outlandish stories that Jack Parsons read in pulp science fiction magazines that first sparked his interest in rockets.

He was born in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 2, 1914, but his parents separated soon after he was born. He grew up on “Millionaire’s Row” in Pasadena with plenty of money but few friends. Parsons spent much of his time reading mythology, legend, and science fiction, particularly the works of Jules Verne and pulp fiction magazines.

Amazing Stories Pulp Magazine

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Amazing Stories, a science fiction pulp magazine that Jack Parsons read as a child.

Oddly, given what Parsons would later achieve, he performed poorly in school at a young age. In Strange Angel, his biographer George Pendle attributed this to undiagnosed dyslexia. School wasn’t easy for Parsons socially, either; he was often bullied for coming from a rich family and having effeminate mannerisms.

But it was during these formative years that he met Edward Forman, a child who frequently defended Parsons from bullies and, like Parsons, had an interest in science fiction. Eventually, the two began conducting their own rocketry experiments. Later, they would work together to help send America to space.

Becoming A Pioneering Rocket Scientist

Jack Parsons began his first experiments in his own backyard, where he would build gunpowder-based rockets along with Ed Forman.

Unfortunately for Parsons, the Great Depression affected his family like it did many others, and Parsons was forced to drop out of college due to financial difficulties.

Then, in 1934, Parsons and Forman decided to approach Frank Malina, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, and form a small group devoted to the study of rockets that self-deprecatingly referred to themselves as the “Suicide Squad,” given the dangerous nature of their work.

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