How to be a rocket scientist

Rocket science-or aerospace, as it is formally known-is the source of amazing accomplishments and benefits for humanity. From commercial aviation to GPS to Mars rovers, aerospace efforts also provide exciting and rewarding careers for a million people in the United States alone.  But we have a problem - and it's bigger than Houston can solve.  Actually there are several problems:  An earlier generation is entering retirement age, which will create shortages in skills and knowledge. Who will take their place?  The forces and velocities of change are putting large stresses on established aerospace organizations and approaches. How will they adapt?  Customers and citizens are still begging for affordable, safe, and reliable solutions that can only come from putting technology or people above planet Earth.

What innovations will satisfy these demands? As Brett Hoffstadt explains, the single answer to these questions is "We need more rocket scientists!" Could you be one of them? Could one of them be in your classroom? Or your family? Distilled from over two decades of wide-ranging experience in the aerospace industry and written in a conversational style, within these tips are stories, quotes of wisdom, and specific resources help launch you on a course that can transform your dreams into reality. Even if your career journey is aimed toward another field, the tips that prove powerful for rocket scientists will give you unique propulsive force plus guidance, navigation, and controls (or GNC) for your own success.