The Engineer who invented the Mars Rover Suspension...in his garage

No other engineer has received more awards for their work on the Mars Rovers than Donald Bickler. Yet, you've never heard of him. This documentary tells the story of how he became a legend at JPL, and won NASA's highest engineering medal. I know because he was my dad. For rover fans, there is also a deep-dive into the development of the mobility system and the famous rocker bogie. How was it invented? Why is it better? Even NASA's own documentaries don't say, but here you will find personal notes, internal documents, and rare footage to answer those questions. Index 00:00 Intro 03:30 School 04:00 Hot Rod 05:55 Co-Op 08:57 Stewart Warner 09:35 Hoffman Electronics 13:23 JPL - Solar 18:00 Pathfinder 26:01 Wood Model 27:33 Bickler Pantograph 34:28 Rocky I 47:35 Rocky III 49:15 Competing Designs 54:55 Novel Approaches 56:40 Tony Spear vs The Rover 1:05:03 Rocky IV 1:18:55 Sojourner 1:24:08 Awards 1:26:05 Other Accomplishments 1:26:58 Spirit and Opportunity 1:33:00 Curiosity and Perseverance 1:35:20 Evaluations - Lab Roaming 1:36:20 Mentoring 1:37:44 More Accomplishments 1:39:14 Retirement Two of my favorite channels for Mars Rover videos: Astrum https://www.youtube.com/@UC-9b7aDP6ZN0coj9-xFnrtw Mars Guy https://www.youtube.com/@UCTSWebmSKFeq9iGuT_Kl-SA