Aerospace/Electrical Engineering
Engineers need to design, analyze, simulate, and test complicated devices/products
Aerospace engineering requires all kinds of disciplines (ex: electrical, mechanical, material engineering)
Different disciplines come together to create one large complex system
This allows people to explore a specialization (ex: computer models)
One job can lead you to work in other disciplines. They may be areas you wouldn't expect so engineers need to be able to adapt and learn on the job.
A career working at Rocketdyne:
Started out as a chemical engineer, performed dynamic projects dealing with combustion and explosions
Gradually once you get into a certain industry, you start to learn/absorb from your job
He gained coding/computer knowledge and how a rocket system works through his job
Evolved and studied a space shuttle main engine system
Engines have more than 2 million parts
Hydraulic systems, chemical engineering, civil engineering, and more are all required for creating an engine
Requires lots of different disciplines to work together
Worked on computer simulations, which use several characteristics/component to model and predict a rocket launch (systems engineering)
Timing is very important: simulate from 20 minutes before launch to when the shuttle reaches space
A fraction of a second difference can lead to great error (explosions like the Challenger)
Before simulations, they had engine tests which were very expensive
Engineers must have good reading and communication skills in order to expand into other specific areas
School gives these skills which are basic elements for engineering
Another aerospace career:
He was inspired to do engineering after the personal computer revolution
Apple was the first company to create a personal computer
Interested in how the computer works: create programs, play games, etc.
Engineering is building things that don't yet exist
Many entrepreneurs are entering the engineering industry, which will change how the aerospace industry works
Jeff Bezos (Amazon) is building a new rocket
Elon Musk (SpaceX) is also spearheading many new engineering projects
Works for a government run company, so he needs to keep track of commercial companies to help improve government projects/business
Got to work on the GPS: satellites sending signals to earth to determine location on earth
Satellites have a limited lifetime 10-15 years, afterwards they need to be replaced
Continually looking at how to improve satellites to keep up with other companies
December 2018: the first time government defense satellite was sent on commercial rocket (GPS with SpaceX) - revolutionary/ changing the industry
Interested in Aerospace engineering?
Here is some additional information:
This video provides basic information on aerospace engineering. It provides some interesting information about aerospace engineering and and how it incorporates various types of engineering. It also goes through how to prepare oneself for aerospace engineering is high school and through college.
Aeronautics focuses on operations inside of the earth's atmosphere, dealing with aircraft such as airplanes and helicopters.
Aerospace engineering can be separated into two specialties: aeronautics and astronautics. These two videos covers the basics of one of the two subdivisions of aerospace engineering .
Astronautics focuses on the space industry, spacecraft manufacturing, and spacecraft operations.