The American Bicycle Company engineers titanium racing bicycles, off road bicycles and bikes specifically designed for triathlons. One recent project took the company in an entirely new direction as they teamed up with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to move the exploration rover Curiosity across the planet Mars. The American Bicycle Company produced the legs for Curiosity. According to American Bicycle Group's CEO Peter Hurley JPL called to see if the bicycle manufacturer would be willing to work with their team to engineer a mobility system for the rover that would move along the surface of Mars to evaluate if life had existed on the planet. The engineering team at American Bicycle Group participated in design studies with the JPL scientists and produced the eight legs that are currently taking Curiosity across the red planet. The signatures of employees of this Chattanooga company can be found on the titanium legs of the rover. If you ever pop up to Mars be sure to look for them.
Legs of Curiosity
