EOD technicians at the NASA Robotics Bomb Tech Workshop at Johnson Space Center Clause

HOUSTON – What do NASA, mine clearance technicians and remote control cars have in common?

U.S. Army EOD technicians recently participated in NASA’s Robotics Bomb Tech Workshop at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Spc. Brayden D. Cooper and 1st Lt. Parker S. Peterson, representing the Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri-based 763rd Ordnance Company (EOD), at a workshop organized by NASA and the Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate.

The 763rd EOD Company “Ozark Bandits” are part of the 242nd EOD Battalion, 71st EOD Group, and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CRNA) Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier multipurpose multi-hazard formation.

Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to support the world’s most dangerous joint, interdiction, and cooperation operations.

The 763rd EOD Company supports military operations around the world but responds when unexploded ordnance is found both on and off post in Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota.

The NASA workshop brought together EOD technicians from various military services, as well as high school robotics students and NASA employees.

During the workshop, participants used remote control cars to detect explosive hazards.

“What I really appreciated about the workshop was the opportunity to learn from individuals from different disciplines, backgrounds and expertise,” said Peterson, 763rd EOD Company Team Leader. “I learned not only about robotics, but about NASA capabilities and what it’s like to work in an interdisciplinary team.”

Peterson said the workshop increased his knowledge of the many ways robots can be used to accomplish the mission.

“This workshop helped me better understand the considerations associated with using a robotic platform,” said Peterson, a three-year Army veteran from Kirksville, Missouri. “I came away from the workshop with a better understanding of the possibilities robotics has for Army EOD.”

Cooper said he helped assemble parts and learned about programming remote control cars.

“The highlight of the NASA robotics workshop has to be having access to the technology and expertise that the people I worked with brought to the table,” he said. “The knowledge I learned will be useful for the company.”

Cooper was selected by the company’s management to attend NASA’s Bomb Tech Workshop because he had recently completed one of the US Army’s most demanding schools – the Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

A native of Winslow, Indiana, the specialist is used to accepting and succeeding in difficult tasks. That’s why he decided to become an Army mine disposal technician.

“I heard it was a tough school so I thought it would be fun to challenge myself in the course,” Cooper said. “I would without a doubt recommend Eode to others. It is a very interesting and important job in the army. You will also get many unique experiences that come with this job.

Cooper plans to earn his bachelor’s degree and pursue new opportunities in the U.S. Army.

According to 1st Sgt. Senior enlisted leader James R. Bohannon Cooper of the 763rd EOD Company demonstrated his commitment to excellence. The 71st EOD Squadron “Raptors” and the 242nd EOD Battalion “War Falcons” recently selected Cooper as their “Raptor of the Week.”

“He’s proven himself in a short amount of time by working hard, having a good attitude, learning from everything he does and graduating from Air Assault School,” said Bohannon, an 18-year veteran from Belleville, Illinois. Afghanistan once and Iraq four times.

Bohannon said the NASA Bomb Tech Workshop was a great opportunity for EOD techs to hone their lifesaving and mission-critical skills.

“When you boil it down, EOD technologies are a problem solver,” Bohannon said. “What better way to practice this than to put strangers in a classroom and challenge them to solve a problem. They are better equipped to use robotics to solve the problems we face as we go about our daily tasks.