Adam Steltzner
Adam Steltzner | |
---|---|
Born | Adam Diedrich Steltzner 1963 (age 60–61)[3] |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | College of Marin University of California, Davis (BSc) California Institute of Technology (MSc) University of Wisconsin–Madison (PhD) |
Known for | Mars Pathfinder Mars Exploration Rovers Mars Science Laboratory[4][5] Mars 2020 Mars sample-return mission |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory University of Wisconsin–Madison University of California, Davis California Institute of Technology |
Thesis | Input force estimation, inverse structural systems and the inverse structural filter (1999) |
Doctoral advisor | Daniel C. Kammer[1][2] |
Website | www |
Adam Diedrich Steltzner (born 1963)[3] is an American NASA engineer who works for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He worked on several flight projects including Galileo, Cassini, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). He was the lead engineer of the Mars Science Laboratory's EDL phase (Entry, Descent and Landing),[4][5] and helped design, build and test the sky crane landing system.[3][6]
The media has portrayed Steltzner as a "rock and roll" engineer.[7] NPR's Morning Edition said "he has pierced ears, wears snakeskin boots and sports an Elvis haircut,"[3] while the EE Times called him "a bit of a hipster" and a "new breed of engineer" who is media savvy.[6][8]
Personal life
Steltzner, born 1963,
Steltzner is married with three children; his wife once worked at JPL as well. His second daughter was born three weeks after the Mars landing in 2012.[10]
Steltzner published an autobiographical book in 2016 titled The Right Kind of Crazy: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership, and High-Stakes Innovation,[16] a memoir of his time at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the building of the Mars Science Laboratory. In October 2016, he was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering.[17] Steltzner speaks publicly on the topics of leadership, innovation, team building, and the power of curiosity and exploration.[18]
Career
Steltzner is employed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he designed, tested and built the sky crane landing system for the Curiosity rover.[6] Steltzner was phase lead and development manager for EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) of the lander, which successfully landed on Mars on August 5, 2012.[14] The sky crane was an entirely new technology system, Steltzner said of it "When people look at it...it looks crazy. That's a very natural thing. Sometimes when we look at it, it looks crazy. It is the result of reasoned, engineering thought. But it still looks crazy."[19] The sky crane allows for a precise landing ellipse opening up many areas of Mars for exploration that were previously inaccessible due to uneven terrain.[20]
Steltzner joined JPL in 1991, in the Spacecraft Structures and Dynamics group.
Steltzner is the chief engineer of the Mars 2020 project, which launched the Perseverance rover to Mars in July 2020.[17] The mission is taking Martian surface samples and rock cores for potential return to Earth by a later mission.
Media appearances
Steltzner is often profiled by the press in
He was among the scientists and engineers featured on the
Awards and honors
- 2005 ASME Leonardo Da Vinci Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers[31]
- 2012 Nature named Steltzner one of 10 most important scientists of the year[8][32]
- 2012 World Technology Award in Ethics given by the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology[33]
- 2013 Smithsonian magazine's American Ingenuity Award in the Technology category[34]
- 2013 Space Pioneer Award for Science and Engineering presented by the National Space Society to the Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) team[35]
- 2014 Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)[36]
- 2014 Astronautics Engineer Award given by the National Space Club as part of the Goddard Memorial Dinner Awards[37]
- 2016 Inducted into the National Academy of Engineering[17]
See also
- Miguel San Martín, Chief Engineer for the Guidance, Navigation, and Control system in the latest missions to Mars
- Bobak Ferdowsi, frequently discussed in conjunction with Steltzner
References
- ^ ProQuest 304536848.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Palca, Joe (August 3, 2012). "Crazy Smart: When A Rocker Designs A Mars Lander". NPR. Retrieved August 5, 2012. See also transcript of audio portion.
- ^ ISBN 0-7803-9545-X.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4244-1487-1.
- ^ a b c d e Leopold, George (August 3, 2012). "Adam Steltzner, NASA's hipster rocket engineer". EE Times. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ a b Bosch, Torie (August 6, 2012). "Forget the Nerdy Image: Mars Rover Curiosity Team Includes 'Mohawk Guy' and Former Rock 'n' Roller". Slate. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ^ PMID 23257862.
- ^ ISBN 0671027964.
- ^ a b c Bilger, Burkhard (April 22, 2013). "The Martian Chroniclers". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ Krieger, Lisa; Prado, Mark (August 6, 2012). "Tamalpais High School graduate has hand in Mars rover landing". Marin Independent Journal. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012.
- ^ Borenstein, Seth; Chang, Alicia (August 16, 2012). "Tam grad involved in Mars mission gains attention as part of new geek chic: mohawks are in, pocket protectors out". Associated Press via Marin Independent Journal. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- ^ Hampton, Caleb (31 August 2019). "Adam Steltzner, UCD alum and NASA engineer, speaks in Folsom". The Davis Enterprise. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Systems Engineering Seminar: System Engineering Challenges of the Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) System; A tale in three acts". NASA.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. November 10, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ^ "MSL Entry, Descent & Landing Update at Mars Society Convention". Mars Society. June 12, 2012. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-59184-692-5.
- ^ a b c Platt, Jane (9 February 2016). "Mars Landing Pioneer Elected to National Academy of Engineering". NASA. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ "Adam Steltzner". Keppler Speakers. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ "The Challenges of Getting to Mars: Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror" (PDF). NASA.gov. June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- ^ "PIA14839: Curiosity's Sky Crane Maneuver, Artist's Concept". NASA.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. October 3, 2011.
- ISBN 1401301495.
- ^ Coulter, Dauna D. (September 21, 2012). "Why Curiosity Matters". NASA.gov. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ^ Palca, Joe (August 10, 2012). "So You Landed On Mars. Now What?". NPR. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Davis, Rebecca (August 4, 2012). "Red Planet, Green Thumb: How A NASA Scientist Engineers His Garden". NPR. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- NPR
- ^ Benderly, Beryl (August 3, 2012). "Good Rockin' (Maybe) Monday". Science. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ^ "Not My Job: We Quiz NASA Engineers On Mars Candy". NPR. August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ Bell, Matthew (August 7, 2012). "The NASA-Guy Style We Can Actually Endorse". Esquire. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- Nova. Season 31. Episode 9. January 4, 2004. Archived from the original on January 8, 2007. Transcript.
- IMDb
- ^ "Leonardo Da Vinci Award". ASME. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ Wall, Mike (December 19, 2012). "Mars Rover Landing Guru Makes 'Best of 2012' List". Space.com. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ "Anthony Beavers: 2012 World Technology Award in Ethics". International Society for Ethics and Information Technology. July 18, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ Ouellette, Jennifer (December 2013). "The Brilliance Behind the Plan to Land Curiosity on Mars". Smithsonian. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "2013 National Space Society Awards". National Space Society. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ Hyland, Duane (August 11, 2014). "Dr. Adam Steltzner Awarded Inaugural Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship". American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ "National Space Club Announces 2014 Goddard Memorial Dinner Award Recipients" (Press release). National Space Club. February 4, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014 – via SpaceRef.com.
External links
- Adam Steltzner official website
- Talk to the Man Who Led Curiosity to the Surface of Mars: Adam Steltzner, Gizmodo, video interview 5m12s, August 14, 2012.
- What's It's Like to Land on Mars, NASA.gov, video 4m06s. Steltzner narrates the Curiosity landing.
- 7 Minutes of Terror: The Challenges of Getting to Mars, YouTube.com, video 5m08s. Steltzner, among others, describes the engineering challenges of the Curiosity landing.
- Adam Steltzner at Twitter
- Adam Steltzner at Facebook