2022 StellarXplorers
MCGUIRE COMPOSITE SQUADRON
CIVIL AIR PATROL
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, NEW JERSEY 08562
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Maj. Bill Petzinger
(609) 306-0966
McGuire Squadron Cadets Compete in 1st Round
of StellarXplorers Competition
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST (Oct. 9, 2022) – Three teams from Civil Air
Patrol’s Maj Thomas B. McGuire Jr Composite Squadron competed in the first of three
qualifying rounds of Air & Space Forces Association's StellarXplorers Space STEM Program.
The squadron’s teams placed 10th, 42nd and 45th out of more than 350 teams in the nationwide
competition.
“I am so proud of McGuire Squadron’s cadets as they did a phenomenal job,” said Steven King,
1st Lt, CAP, McGuire’s Aerospace Education Officer and StellarXplorers Director. “What’s is
even more amazing is that for most of the team it was their first year competing.”
Lt King and SM Bridget Rose are training and mentoring the squadron's three StellarXplorers
teams made up of 23 cadets. Only five participated last year: Cadet Second Lieutenant Allyson
Kittel, Cadet Master Sergeant Audrey Hersey, Cadet Master Sergeant Aaron Sperry, Cadet
Senior Staff Sergeant Gabriel Carrol and Cadet Airman First Class Matthew Kavalkovich.
In the competition, teams are tasked with gaining a working knowledge of the Systems Tool Kit
(STK), a simulation software. Teams are challenged with developing solutions to space design
problems utilizing their new-found knowledge of STK. The provided design problems can range
from orbit determination to launch vehicle planning.
“The three McGuire Squadron teams distinguished themselves in round one of the competition,
referred to as Chasing Shadows,” said King. “They had to track the moving elements of an
eclipse.”
More than 250 teams from across the U.S. are participating in the 2022-2023 competition, which
consists of three online practice rounds, three online qualifying rounds, an online semifinal
round, and an in-person National Finals Competition.
After the three qualifying rounds, the top 75 teams earn a spot in the semifinal round. From
there, the top 10 teams qualify for the in-person National Finals event in April 2023. This is an
all-expenses paid trip to compete for educational grants (awarded to the top three teams) and
network with sponsor representatives and guest speakers.
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the
Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90
percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue
Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually.
CAP’s 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction
missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role
in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people
participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.
If you are a student between the ages of 12-18 -- or an adult – and considering joining Civil Air
Patrol, please reach out to Maj Bill Petzinger by email bill.petzinger@njwg.cap.gov .