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For the Aerospace Engineers among us

snoopdog

snoopdog

Freshman
Mar 25, 2008
1,330
81
48
What all type of jobs are involved...

With being an aerospace engineer? I assume jobs with airplane design, etc, but more curious about space related type jobs. I am 44 and have a Marketing degree, so I ask simply because I am intrigued by it, not because I am gonna do it for a living or anything.
 
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patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
56,564
25,853
113
My brother designs the bodies of electric scooters.
 
missouridawg

missouridawg

Junior
Oct 6, 2009
9,389
288
83
I flew to northern British Columbia today for work... and someone mentioned Chris Hatfield and expected me to know who he was. Amazing that I've never heard of the guy, but now I've heard of him twice in about 2 hours. Weird.
 
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UpTheMiddlex3Punt

All-Conference
May 28, 2007
17,958
3,938
113
I dated a girl in college who was an AE. She chose AE because she thought about becoming an astronaut and the tour guide at the Space and Rocket Center told her that all astronauts are AEs. I was dumbfounded that she believed this and told her that many great astronauts were not AE (including Shepard and Glenn, though Armstrong was an AE). She still insisted that the tour guide at the S&RC was the authority on the issue and I was wrong. That relationship didn't last long. Not because she wouldn't believe me, but because she was dumb enough to think a freaking tour guide couldn't be wrong.
 
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aerodawg.sixpack

Freshman
Aug 3, 2011
613
82
28
Aerospace basically involves anything moving through air, water, or space. For space specifically, and I assume you mean actually getting to space, your best chance is as a mission specialist which involves many different fields of engineering. Aerospace degrees also go well with piloting but that obviously requires more training than receiving a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Think of Aerospace Engineering as anything dealing with the safe and efficient movement of objects through air, water, space and that pretty much sums it up. Lots of math, simulation, and testing involved in fields ranging from toys, cars, submarines, and on to any spacecraft.
 
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SkullCandy.sixpack

Redshirt
Nov 19, 2012
1,157
0
0
This maybe the first time I've seen an aerospace engineer called "dumb."

UpTheMiddlex3Punt said:
I dated a girl in college who was an AE. She chose AE because she thought about becoming an astronaut and the tour guide at the Space and Rocket Center told her that all astronauts are AEs. I was dumbfounded that she believed this and told her that many great astronauts were not AE (including Shepard and Glenn, though Armstrong was an AE). She still insisted that the tour guide at the S&RC was the authority on the issue and I was wrong. That relationship didn't last long. Not because she wouldn't believe me, but because she was dumb enough to think a freaking tour guide couldn't be wrong.
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snoopdog

snoopdog

Freshman
Mar 25, 2008
1,330
81
48
Is there any chance at all of actually getting people to Mars...

Within some of the time frames and plans that are floating around out there now...sending 2 people to do a flyby, sending people for a one way trip to set up shop, etc.?
 
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patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
56,564
25,853
113
I don't think we'll ever see it in our lifetimes. The technical challenges are orders of magnitude greater than anything ever done in space. Not to mention the cost. You hear rumblings from NASA every few years, but they're just grabbing for funding. I don't think even they realistically think it could be done.
 
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garndawg

Redshirt
Jan 8, 2008
202
0
11
Sure, the ephemeris is easy (assuming you don’t confuse metric and standard measurements in your Euler equations...) But, keep in mind that you have to accelerate for half the way, then turn the motors around and slow down the other half. Else, you'll not enter orbit, just shoot on by on your way out of the solar system (or into Sol).
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It's sustaining the thing biologically that's the problem. You can carry enough food/water/air for only so long. Once that runs out...but that's not an Aerospace problem. Once they figure a way to get those ground lock-up habitats working, then we might have a chance. Recyclable hydroponics for food/water/air, robotic surgery (you _will_ need it), psychological screening for being locked into an RV with a few friends for over two years, etc.
 
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RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
18,955
2,076
113
He was on the Fox News morning program (this video was), so that may be why you heard about him on your Canadian trip ... he was recently in the news. Same reason for the post here.
 
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RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
18,955
2,076
113
garndawg said:
Sure, the ephemeris is easy (assuming you don’t confuse metric and standard measurements in your Euler equations...) But, keep in mind that you have to accelerate for half the way, then turn the motors around and slow down the other half. Else, you'll not enter orbit, just shoot on by on your way out of the solar system (or into Sol).

It's sustaining the thing biologically that's the problem. You can carry enough food/water/air for only so long. Once that runs out...but that's not an Aerospace problem. Once they figure a way to get those ground lock-up habitats working, then we might have a chance. Recyclable hydroponics for food/water/air, robotic surgery (you _will_ need it), psychological screening for being locked into an RV with a few friends for over two years, etc.
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That's only true if you're going direct and have a low-thrust propulsion system (like some nuclear, ion, etc.). If we were to use regular chemical rockets, which is most likely, it's pretty much like going anywhere else ... big thrust to get out of Earth orbit, coast (might have another planetary swingby assist), firings for course corrections, possibly retro fire for Mars orbit entry or possibly aeroassist at Mars.
 
snoopdog

snoopdog

Freshman
Mar 25, 2008
1,330
81
48
Hope I live to see the day. I was born in 1969, so the moon landing was fresh when I was a kid. So I always thought we would naturally be on Mars by now.
 
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Mjoelner

All-Conference
Sep 2, 2006
2,683
1,157
113
Hohmann transfer? And for the person that asked what we do? We're the ones....

that design the airliner wings so that they flap during turbulence to freak people out. But, if they didn't flap and bend, they could snap off and you don't need no degree to figure out what would happen next.
 
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HailState39110

Redshirt
Sep 18, 2012
217
0
0
im sure most AE majors have jobs that feed into Boeing or Lockheed Martin

snoopdog said:
With being an aerospace engineer? I assume jobs with airplane design, etc, but more curious about space related type jobs. I am 44 and have a Marketing degree, so I ask simply because I am intrigued by it, not because I am gonna do it for a living or anything.
Click to expand...

Which have contracts with the government to design planes, sattelites,space ships, etc
 
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