The Loadmasters of NASA Super Guppy N941NA

The Loadmasters of N941NA are responsible for the correct loading of the Super Guppy and ensuring that the cargo arrives safely at it's destinations. Pictured above are the Loadmasters assigned to the Super Guppy in support of the International Space Station. They are employees of Airlift Technologies International Inc., which is on contract to NASA.

John Livingston; ATI, Inc. Retired USAF Loadmaster	Bobby Boyd; NASA Retired USAF Loadmaster	Rick Barrett; ATI, Inc. Retired USAF Loadmaster	TC Clark; ATI, Inc. Retired USAF Loadmaster
Dan Brown; ATI, Inc. Retired USAF Loadmaster	Jack Roberts; ATI, Inc. Retired USAF Loadmaster	Jim Thorpe; ATI, Inc. Retired USAF Loadmaster	Christopher "Patches" Norton; NASA. Retired USAF Loadmaster

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Super Guppy Loadmaster, Daniel Jablonski is no longer working with NASA. He has truly been missed and is staying in touch..
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The V131R seen in this photo is the test-bed for the X-38 which will be the Crew Return Vehicle for the ISS. The second generation of the prototypes will be the V201 which will actually be sent into orbit in the Space Shuttle cargo bay and then released to return to Earth unmanned. The final vehicle will be the X-38. NASA plans on having the X-38 on station by 2005.

The V131R, seen above was flown from the Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Dryden Test Facility at Edwards AFB on July 11, 2000. It weighed about 15,000 lbs. and was full of avionics for the testing. The first flight of the V131R was a cold soak and the next test will be a real drop sometime in 2001.
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The T-38 is seen here being loaded into the Super Guppy. The T-38 was picked up at El Paso, Texas and flown to Houston. The same shoring kit was used for the T-38 and the V131R mentioned above. The T-38 will be cosmetically refurbished and put on static display at Johnson Space Center. It's not known at this time when the refurbishment is scheduled to begin.
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Click on the thumbnail to the left to view a slideshow which details the History of the Loadmasters, Initial and Final Mission Planning, Mission Movement, In Flight Duties and the Mission Debrief. This is an overview of the duties that the ATI Loadmastions are responsible for to ensure that a load aboard the Super Guppy gets safely from departure to desination.
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