Spare Parts Characters

A temperature engineer at a thermometer supplier in Connecticut. Oscar calls him to get advice on a temperature-reading task in the competition. Swankoski is impressed with the boys’ initiative and donates a thermocouple to the team.

The owner of Distagage, a company that sells laser tape measures. De Trey gives Oscar and the team advice, testing his laser for them to see if it would work underwater. He also offers to let them borrow one of his devices.

Cristian’s eighth grade chemistry teacher. Ms. Hildebrandt encourages him to work on independent projects, which inspires him to conduct his first experiment: exploring the effect of different fin designs on a rocket.

Cristian’s mother and Juan’s wife. Leticia crosses the border with Cristian in order to join Juan, who goes ahead of them to send money back to the family. Leticia encourages Cristian’s experiments by giving him toys that he can take apart and put back together.

Cristian’s father and Leticia’s husband. Juan travels to the United States looking for better work opportunities. He goes ahead of Cristian and Cristian’s mother, and later the family rejoins him in the U.S.

Oscar’s father and Manuela’s husband. He sells a pig in order to travel to the United States so that he can make more money working in a factory. Ramiro is deported, but works to return to the United States with his family.

Oscar’s mother and Ramiro’s wife. When Oscar’s father Ramiro leaves for the United States, Oscar and Manuela join him, but Manuela is heartbroken, having left her daughter Luz behind. Only after Luz marries does she see the benefit of the United States for Oscar.

Luis’s father and Maria Garcia’s husband, who travels ahead of Maria Garcia and Luis to the United States to find work. Eventually, he obtains permanent residency and is able to get green cards for Maria Garcia and Luis.

Luis’s mother, and Pedro’s wife, who brings him to America so that he might have a better life than she and her husband do.

One of the judges in the technical presentation portion of the MATE ROV competition, along with Lisa Spence. Swean runs the Navy’s Ocean Engineering and Marine Systems program.

One of the judges in the technical presentation portion of the MATE ROV competition, along with Tom Swean. Spence is the flight lead at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

The host of the awards ceremony at the MATE ROV competition, who is also a recruiting manager for an industrial ROV firm.

The woman who runs the Scuba Sciences facility, where the Carl Hayden students use the pool to test drive their robot.

Luis’s boss at the restaurant. Hearing about Luis’s participation in the underwater-robotics competition, he is so impressed that he writes a check for $100 for the team.

Fredi’s wife. Pam is the school psychologist, but she takes time off of work after having their two kids, Alex and Bijan.

Oscar’s girlfriend, whom he meets while he is in college. They eventually marry and have a daughter.

Fredi and Pam’s older son, who has Asperger’s syndrome.

Fredi and Pam’s younger son, who is diagnosed with pronounced autism at two years old.

Fredi’s father.

Fredi’s mother.

Fredi’s younger brother.

Lorenzo’s older brother.

Oscar’s older brother.

Oscar’s older sister.