Adam Steltzner is a 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, Curiosity rover EDL phase (Entry, Descent and Landing), and helped design, build and test the sky crane landing system.
The media has portrayed Steltzner as a “rock and roll” engineer. NPR’s Morning Edition said “he has pierced ears, wears snakeskin boots and sports an Elvis haircut,” while the EE Times called him “a bit of a hipster” and a “new breed of engineer” who is media savvy.
