Scott Roberts is a mechanical design engineer with 20 years of experience designing tools and mechanisms for NASA and the oil and gas industry. He has extensive experience in all phases of engineering design and system development. Some of his accomplishments include winning the Space Flight Awareness Award and earning over 20 team awards for successful space flight hardware projects. He has worked for several major aerospace companies, including Lockheed Martin and Jacobs Engineering, where he designed various mechanisms for applications including the International Space Station and Orion spacecraft. One of his most challenging projects was leading the design of the 85-foot safety tether used by astronauts during spacewalks.

1. Scott M. Roberts Sept. 2016
3403 Nottingham Ln (Home) 281-997-6040
Pearland, TX 77581 (Cell) 281-660-1531
scott.marcus.roberts@gmail.com
Mechanical Design Engineer with 20 years of experience in the Engineering, Design, Development, and
Testing of tools and mechanisms for NASA and the Oil & Gas Industry. Experienced in all phases of
Engineering Design and System Development for use in extremely hostile environments. Proficient with
multiple CAD design softwares including AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and 14 years’ experience with Pro-
E/Creo. Uniquely qualified for the design development of Space Flight or Bio-Mechanical systems.
Accomplishments
Winner of the prestigious Space Flight Awareness Award for technical excellence in the field of Space
Flight Hardware design. This was awarded for many successful projects for NASA’s Shuttle and Space
Station programs, but primarily for the successful design and development of the 85-Foot Safety Tether.
Earned more than 20 Team Awards and Project Certificates for the successful completion of Space Flight
Hardware projects.
Professional Experience
Lockheed Martin Corp. (Subcontractor) June 2015-May 2016
Mechanical Design Engineer
Performed as a Subcontractor to the LM Space Systems Structures group for the design and analysis of
components and systems for the Orion EM1 Crew Capsule.
Baker Hughes Corp. May 2013-
Feb.2015
Mechanical Design Engineer
Worked as an integral member of the Sand Control group to Research, Design, Develop and Test an
advanced high pressure/high flow oil production tool for BP (formerly British Petroleum).
Jacobs Engineering (ESCG Contract/JETS Contract) Feb.2005- Feb.2013
Mechanical Design Engineer
Represented Jacobs Engineering as Mechanical Design Lead to NASA/JSC’s Avionics (EV) division. This
involved providing leadership to Research, Design, and Test new electro-mechanical components and
systems with unique functions according to customer requirements.
Lockheed Martin Corp. (SEAT Contract) Jan.1995-
Jan.2005
Mechanical Engineer/Designer/Test Engineer
Performed as a member of an Integrated Product Team between to develop and certify EVA Tools used by
U.S. Astronauts and Russian Cosmonauts to construct the International Space Station.
Oceaneering Space Systems Summer 1993
Mechanical Designer/Drafter
Prepared design layouts and drawings according to ANSI Y14.5 and NASA drafting standards during
summer break while pursuing 4-year degree from University of Houston.
Career Roles and Responsibilities

2. During my years as a Mechanical Design Engineer, I have performed as a multi-disciplined professional,
embracing many diverse roles including the following:
Establish Design Requirements- Interacted directly with the customer for product definition and methods
for the verification of performance expectations.
Concept Development- Created innovative solutions in the form of solid models, system layouts, and
detailed part drawings according to customer specifications.
Stress Analysis- Performed loads analysis to determine required size, shape, and materials for individual
parts and successful system function.
Human Interface analysis- Verified that system designs accounted for space-suited human ergonomics for
successful and non-hazardous operations and maintenance.
Prototype Fabrication- Designed and fabricated parts and system prototypes for design reviews and for
proof-of-concept testing.
Design Reviews- Prepared materials and delivered presentations in support of required customer reviews.
Configuration management- Organized designs into subassemblies and part drawings, established
document baselines, and maintained traceability of design changes during the development process.
Engineering drawings- Created drawings for parts and assemblies using a variety of design softwares
according to employer and NASA documentation requirements.
Fabrication Liaison- Interfaced with other engineers, machinists, and project personnel to ensure that
fabricated parts met design specifications and maintained traceability through all phases of production.
Project Engineer- Processed parts and systems according to employer and NASA guidelines to guarantee
the quality and pedigree of all final delivered products.
Technical Writing- Wrote many technical documents, including Requirements definitions, detailed
Assembly/Fabrication procedures, Test & Performance Verifications, and Maintenance documents.
International Partner Liason- Participated in tool briefings to describe the function of tools to foreign
partner astronauts, including Soviet Cosmonauts using limited knowledge of Russian language.
Assembly Technician- Maintained conformance to quality processes and assembly procedures to ensure
hardware was built in full compliance to design documentation prior to final testing.
Certification Test Engineer- Verified through testing that completed Space Flight parts and tools satisfied
both customer and contractual requirements.
Specific Space Flight Projects:
- IVTEPC- Lead Mechanical Engineer on the world’s most advanced radiation detection device for use
on the Space Station. Worked closely with the Nuclear Research Science Center at Texas A&M.
- Shuttle External Tank Camera Flash- Lead Mechanical Engineer on a camera flash mounted in the
belly of the Space Shuttle to capture images of the External tank taken during launches. The Shuttle
was not permitted to launch at night without this flash.
- 85 Foot Safety Tether with Level Wind- Performed as Design Team lead on the retracting cable
mechanism for keeping Astronauts attached to the Space Shuttle or Space Station during space walks.
This equipment is mandatory for all EVA crew operations. See Page 4 for full description.
- ISS Crew Toolbox- Worked as a member of the Flight Crew Equipment group to design and certify the
toolbox used by astronauts onboard the Space Station.
- Body Restraint Tether (BRT)- Worked as part of an integrated product team to design and fabricate a
“third arm” for Astronaut stabilization during space walks. This design is still being used 15 years
after its introduction.
- Orbital Space Plane (OSP) Seat- Lead design engineer on lightweight seats for medical evacuation.
- Treadmill Vibration Isolation Stabilization (TVIS)- Diagnosed and proposed problem solutions on
multiple subsystems of the Space Station Astronaut exercise treadmill.
- Orion Project- Designed full scale mock-up of the Orion test capsule for antenna testing.
Education
1992-95 University of Houston B.S. Biological Science
-Specialized in the Biology of the Human Body in preparation for Medical School.

3. -Heavy emphasis on Genetics, Human Physiology, Organic Chemistry, Bio-Chemistry,
and Research laboratory procedures.
1989 San Jacinto College A.A. Mathematics
1989 San Jacinto College Cert. Civil Engineering
1986-88 University of Texas at Austin Aerospace Engineering
-Two years of study in the Aerospace Engineering disciplines: Advanced Mathematics,
Material Properties, Stress Analysis, Thermodynamics, Physics, Aerodynamics, Orbital
Mechanics, Fortran programming, Engineering management.
Special Training:
Pro/Engineer-Creo/Windchill Lockheed-Martin
Solidworks/Teamcenter Baker Hughes
Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing Jacobs Engineering
Pro/Engineer –Wildfire V.4/DDMS Jacobs Engineering
Electrostatic Discharge Prevention NASA/JSC
Russian Language Training College of the Mainland
Unigraphics V.12 Lockheed- Martin
Hobbies/Interests:
Currently building a Factory Five Racing Cobra 427 replica roadster in my garage.
Other Interests: High Performance Engine designing and building, General History, Biological Science,
Space Exploration, Swimming, and Off-road Biking.
85-Foot EVA Safety Tether with Level-Wind
One of my most challenging projects was the 85-Foot Safety Tether that I developed for NASA. I
functioned as the Lead Mechanical Design Engineer for a small team of design engineers and drafters. The
process began with meetings with NASA project management to define the purpose and function of this
specialized tether, as well as coordination through my management and project engineers to determine

4. available manpower with cost, schedule, testing, and delivery dates. The design phase began once the
requirements were solidified and necessary staffing was acquired.
This design was to function as the Safety Tether for Astronauts during space walks, also known as Extra-
Vehicular Activities (EVA). The 85 feet of stainless steel cable, a lightweight but very reliable retraction
spring, a switch to activate/deactivate this retraction spring, the storage spools for both the spring and the
cable, a mechanism to efficiently distribute the retracted cable, and the load bearing structures all had to be
designed to fit within a small area, and had to meet stringent weight and loading requirements.
Specialized materials had to be selected that would function in the vacuum of space and not degrade in the
extreme thermal environment of -250F to +350F. Coatings to maximize resistance to wear, and to minimize
friction, were applied at appropriate locations. Cable terminations that did not induce areas of
concentrated stresses within the cable had to be researched and implemented. The specialized level-wind
mechanism had to be developed, tested and integrated so that the gear train was in perfect sync to the both
the retraction spring and the cable storage spools. The housing had to be structurally capable of carrying
the demanding loads of a 600-lb suited Astronaut, yet be ergonomically friendly for the astronaut’s gloved
hands. The spring retraction force was designed to be heavy enough to retract the full weight of the long
steel cable, but not so heavy as to pull the Astronaut away from his spacewalking tasks. The calculated
geometric tolerances on all parts, and their associated effects on the friction of the overall mechanism, were
crucial to the successful function of the design.
The 85-ft Safety Tether is at times the Astronaut’s only physical connection to the Space Station, so its
reliability must be unquestioned. Failure of this mechanism means one thing; an Astronaut floats away with
only a slight chance of recovery. My design is still in use by NASA as one of their most reliable EVA
tools, and more importantly is trusted by the elite cadre of Astronauts for the US Space Program.
85-ft Safety Tether