Kobie Boykins is a senior

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. In 2013, he was awarded the

NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal The NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal is an award of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration established in 1991. The medal is awarded to both civilian members of NASA and military astronauts. To be awarded the medal, a NASA employee ...

. He designed the solar array systems for the Mars exploration rovers ''Spirit'' and ''Opportunity'', and designed the actuators on the Mars rover ''Curiosity''. He is currently the supervisor of the mobility and remote sensing teams for ''Curiosity''. In 2003, he was part of NASA's M-Team, which lectured nationally to students regarding careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.NASA.gov
/ref> He lectures internationally for

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

regarding exploration on Mars.

Personal life

Boykins attended

Omaha Northwest High School Omaha Northwest High Magnet School at 8204 Crown Point Avenue in northwest Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is located on a campus. Construction was completed in 1971. Further renovations were completed in 2004, adding several classrooms and imp ...

and lived in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

until college. Boykins then moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to attend college, at B.S Mechanical Engineering

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

. After Graduation Boykins chose to take a position at

(JPL) and started working on projects with his selected team. Boykins was offered this opportunity while still studying at R.P.I. After arriving at JPL, Boykins meet Hannah Kim. Boykins and Kim got married and have two children. Boykins loves playing hockey and tries to play the game at least once a week.

Career

After leaving R.P.I Boykins took a career at NASA in their

, working on trips from Mars to planet Earth. Kobie Boykins is a senior

. Boykins has now been working at

for 22 years and enjoys working in the laboratory as of 1996. He worked with his team to design the solar array systems for the

Mars exploration rovers NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission was a robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers, '' Spirit'' and '' Opportunity'', exploring the planet Mars. It began in 2003 with the launch of the two rovers to explore the Martian surface ...

''Spirit'' and ''Opportunity'', and designed the actuators on the Mars rover ''

Curiosity Curiosity (from Latin , from "careful, diligent, curious", akin to "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking, such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident in humans and other animals. Curiosity helps Developmental psyc ...

,'' the name of both wings. This system generates power so the Mars Rover can operate while on Mars. Two rechargeable batteries are held inside the

Mars Exploration Rover NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission was a robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers, ''Spirit (rover), Spirit'' and ''Opportunity (rover), Opportunity'', exploring the planet Mars. It began in 2003 with the launch of the two rove ...

; these batteries are power sources for the rover when the sun is not shining. (especially at night time). The rover can generate about 140 watts of power when fully illuminated and need about 100 watts for motion. The solar array system is attached to the rover and looks almost like wings, although they cannot be used for flight they are crucial for the system to function properly. Kobe Boykins and his team allowed, the solar array system out lived its projected life expectancy by more than a factor of 20. The Mar rover landed on January 25th 2004 which was only supposed to last approximately 90 days but the rover system is still online and adventuring mars to this day. Boykins then had the opportunity to design the actuators on the Mars rover ''Curiosity''. The system is attached to the updated Mars Rover and is used for many research activities. He also is currently the supervisor of the mobility and remote sensing teams for ''

''. has also been involved in other projects like, projects like Mars Pathfinder mission and the Ocean Surface Topography Mission. As of 2018 Kobie Boykins is still working at NASA's

on new projects furthering his search in space.

Awards

Boykins' achievements all start in 2002. This is when Boykins joined "Marsapalooza", which is a public education tour hoping to raise awareness of the Mars Exploration Project. The project visited 5 different cities across the country and presented himself as a role model to inspire the next generation of explorers. In 2003, he was part of NASA's M-Team, which lectured nationally to students regarding careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. He lectures internationally for

regarding exploration on Mars. Boykins then joined another teaching program called the JASONProject Expedition; "Mysteries of Earth and Mars". Boykins joined the team in 2006, lecturing to students and teachers worldwide showing his knowledge in his field. In 2013, he was awarded the

References

External links

NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Boykins, Kobie Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century African-American scientists American mechanical engineers NASA people Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Jet Propulsion Laboratory faculty Recipients of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics