Embedded Files
The Backstory
The Backstory
I was born a poor… No wait, that’s the wrong backstory. That belongs to Steve Martin. Let me start again. I was born with a debilitating condition known as “the knack”. While my mom seemed unconcerned about this, my dad did all that he could to draw out and fully develop this affliction. I was surrounded by LEGO bricks, Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, and even a Spinwelder. Some of my earliest memories are of building LEGO marble ramps with my dad. One day he brought home a 1” steel ball bearing. That was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received! I was so excited! Because of the extra mass and inertia, I could now build much longer marble ramps.
When I was about 5 or 6, my dad bought an Estes Mercury Redstone model rocket kit. I remember intensely watching him build that kit in the den while my mom watched TV in the evening. I was fascinated by it. Launch day eventually came, and we went to the school down the street to fly the rocket. My dad had a launch pad, but did not buy the electric igniter. I only have a handful of memories of my father, but I remember this event vividly! He tried lighting that motor with a match! The rocket never did fly that day, I don’t remember ever getting that one off the ground, but it didn’t really matter. That whole event left an indelible mark. It ignited a love of space and aviation that has stayed with me my entire life.
A few years after the Redstone incident, my father was involved in a fatal trucking accident. He never got to see where that little rocket led. I know he would have been very proud of what I went on to do. The toys changed over the years, but the fascination with building things never did.
A much younger me inside one of the Mars Exploration Rover airbags, looking for damage after a drop test.
That fascination with building eventually became a career. I spent more than three decades designing flight hardware for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory before starting Redstone Design, where I continue solving challenging engineering problems while sharing a few of the lessons I learned along the way. These stories are my way of passing those lessons on to the next generation of engineers.
After 33 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the 2025 budget cuts brought that chapter of my career to a close. These days, I stay busy with a combination of part-time engineering work at Sierra Lobo Inc., and independent consulting, but I'm always happy to hear about interesting design challenges. If you have a small project I may be able to help with, or if you'd simply like to start a conversation about a potential future project, please contact me.
Page updated
Report abuse