An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Nov. 15, 2012

Guard's Air Mobility experts join Mars Rover team on airdrop problems

By Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith 139th Airlift Wing

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The phase lead and development manager for the Entry Descent and Landing on the Mars Science Laboratory Project met with Air Mobility experts from across the Air Force here recently.

Dr. Adam Steltzner is among the top NASA engineers in the nation, and he was invited to the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center (AATTC) on Rosecrans Air National Guard Base to speak about airdrop missions during their annual Mobility Air Force Tactics Review Board.

His knowledge and accomplishments in airdrop are renowned. In August, he headed the team that successfully landed the Curiosity Rover on Mars.

Although worlds apart, Air Mobility officials believe that problem solving with NASA may help improve their airdrop missions on Earth, and vice versa.

"We were invited to come out and speak with the airdrop guys about our precision airdrop … a little bit different, a different planet, but it has some opportunities," Steltzner said.

More than 100 active duty, Guard and Reserve Command members from the mobility air force community attended the conference. Officials said they represented all the tactics professionals and air mobility experts across all mobility aircraft platforms including the airdrop mission set.

Improving Air Force aerial delivery procedures and equipment was their goal, said Col. Edward Black, commander of the AATTC. "Sharing information with other government agencies is one avenue to ensure airdrop missions are as accurate and cost effective as possible," he said.

"We are hoping to gather some of their information and be able to share some stories, share some handshakes and maybe learn a little something from the big brains at the jet propulsion laboratory," Black said.

In air mobility, it's not just delivering military personnel and cargo that helps secure the nation's interests; it's delivering it to the right forces in the right spot at the right time. And that's not so easy in combat areas where pinpoint accuracy and safety of personnel is of primary concern.

Steltzner explained that his NASA team and the Air Force share similar problems, even millions of miles away, like uncertainty in weather and aerodynamics.

"Your problems are fascinating, and I am really interested in them, and evidently some of the guys are really interested in the landings on Mars," he said.

People on Earth were enthralled with Curiosity's highly complex landing, said Dr. Don Erbschloe, chief scientist for Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base.

"I watched that and thought, ‘that's precision airdrop, that's what we do,'" said Erbschloe, who also attended the conference.

Speaking with the scientists and engineers just made sense, he said.

"I am thrilled by the fact that they were able to join us and sit down and talk with the guys who do this on a daily basis," Erbschloe said. "We want to improve airdrop, whether it's on the surface of the Earth or the surface of another planet."

Steltzner learned about the latest Air Force airdrop tactic on Earth: Low Cost, Low Altitude (LCLA) aerial delivery. That tactic doubles the amount of cargo that can be airdropped with the highest accuracy rate to date while reducing the risk and burden on ground forces.

The signature "trash bag" black parachutes of LCLA are another benefit. They are disposable and cheap, as the chutes are 25 percent the cost of a reusable chute. Their single use also reduces the burden of carrying used chutes for ground troops.

Lt. Col. Christopher Parker, the Air Mobility Command detachment commander here, said the Center's development division pioneered this and many other tactics.

Parker said the NASA team is a valuable addition to the countless relationships made here that advance air mobility worldwide, and now may be on other planets.

"We're proud to say the partnerships that are represented here at the Center have made LCLA and many other concepts a reality as we continue to evolve procedures that allow warfighters to prevail," said Parker.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...