Patrick Degrosse Jr. Email & Phone Number

Pasadena, California, United States

• Responsible engineer for the Mars Sample Retrieval Lander landing gear footpad detailed design, coordinating a cross-cutting team towards flight hardware delivery• Leveraged non-linear stress analysis to design a mass efficient, non-detrimental yielding footpad per nasa-std-5001, releasing titanium engineering development units to production• Created source control and interface documentation, and led weekly co-engineering sessions with Lockheed Martin partners • Collaborated with Mars geologists and terramechanics experts to align footpad specifications with expected Martian terrain features

Pasadena, California, United States

• Developed, delivered, and operated full-scale planetary landing testbed for Mars Sample Retrieval Lander• Analyzed results and collaborated with scientists in developing terramechanics based dynamic soil model representing landing sites on Mars• Performed trade studies to select landing/launch simulants for Mars. Created simulant preparation and silica safety procedures alongside technicians & OSHA to reflect a range of Martian regolith conditions• Designed and executed novel simulant tests to validate soil conditions observed in-flight on Mars, informing the science community

Pasadena, California, United States

• Provided technical support to the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) in assessing NASA & JAXA pressurized lunar rover concepts. Delivered critical mass management recommendations questioning the applicability of AIAA S-120 (Mass Properties Control for Space Systems) to complex spacecraft• Generated comprehensive findings, observations, and recommendations on the rovers' mobility design and trafficability on the lunar surface which were accepted into the final stakeholder briefing and NESC assessment report

Pasadena, California, United States

• Lead engineer and cost account manager for concept development of a major Mars Sample Retrieval Lander sub-system, producing detailed cost and workforce estimates for a multi-million dollar effort• Coordinated trade studies amongst a multi-disciplinary team, resulting in a baseline design selection to accommodate, launch restrain, and deliver an ESA produced fetch rover to the Martian surface• Led international co-engineering sessions between JPL, GRC, ESA, Airbus, et al., maturing requirements, negotiating GFE, and releasing formal mechanical interface requirements• Performed mobility system architecture trade studies separately from ESA, with supporting technical presentations to advocate for design improvements

Pasadena, California, United States

• Co-inventor of the patented pneumatic version of NASA's rapid response Covid ventilator, producing a medically functional prototype in 37 days. After passing critical tests days later at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, FDA emergency use authorization was granted • Part of an elite group permitted on-lab during the pandemic, concurrently directing a high-pace remote design team while developing brassboard and prototype ventilator units in a cleanroom environment on site with technicians• Produced specifications and assembly documentation to support Caltech's free licensing of VITAL to over 30 commercial partners around the world with thousands of units produced

Pasadena, California, United States

• Delivering mobility system engineer for a flagship Mars mission, currently in operation having covered ~25 kM in Jezero crater• Leader of 20+ FTE multi-disciplinary team of support engrs, designers, analysts, interns, and technicians• Managed a ~$25M cost account, to within 5% of initial estimates, to design, fabricate, assemble, and qualify a major mechatronic system for flight. Established metrics to implement earned value mgmt • Designer of the Mars 2020 rover wheel, entrusted to correct substantial design deficiencies from the Mars Science Laboratory wheel anomaly. Implemented novel methods to specify surface design loads used to qualify actuators for flight• Analyzed in-flight data and produced technical presentations for lab mgmt / NASA HQ to inform extension of Mars 2020's surface life to 5x of qualified life, in support of ambitious Mars Sample Return architecture• Followed SAE procedures to allocate the first legitimate VIN number to a vehicle on another planet, and implemented an 'easter egg' graphic on a flight wheel to inspire the public

Pasadena, California, United States

• Led an extensive full-scale vehicle test and analysis campaign to understand the unexpected degradation of the Curiosity rover wheels in flight on Mars• Retrofitted ground test rover with force/torque sensor compliment, and developed benchmark Martian terrains for wheel reaction analysis. Results substantially improved the understanding of 'inter-mobility forces' for 6-wheeled rocker-bogie systems• Delivered wheel inspection and damage prediction tools to MSL's surface operations teams, directly informing the campaign on how to best preserve the rover's available life on Mars

Pasadena, California, United States

• Designed, built, and operated a thermal vacuum chamber testbed to assess viability of sealing Mars sample tubes with heat activated shape memory alloy plugs• Responsible for all aspects of the design including vacuum system, heat exchangers, test articles, power and data aquistion, motor control, and in-situ helium leak detection methods

Pasadena, California, United States

• Lead engineer for the re-design of the MSL rover battery to substantially increase capacity• Coordinated JPL team member travel to battery vendor to support cell integration and general I&T• Gave critical design review presentations on multple coasts for various audiences to support flight qualification

Pasadena, California, United States

• Directed a team of technicians in a class 10,000 cleanroom environment to integrate structure and instruments to the Curiosity flagship mission to Mars• Authored the highly complex Rover Handling Procedure, and implemented the corrected procedure for rover crane lifts, turnovers, and other hazardous operations• Trusted to make high-risk on-the-fly decisions about clearancing and other high risk modifications to flight hardware to enable integration

Pasadena, California, United States

• Developed the Mars-weight prototype rover and EM mobility system pre-cursor to Mars Science Laboratory. This vehicle was used extensively for MSL flight qualification, and remains in use at JPL as of 2024• Responsible engineer for flight mobility restraint and pyrotechnic hardare. Performed numerous bolt-race and crush-core analyses, developed integration procedures, and performed detailed tolerance stackups