Author Topic: I want to get into the space industry any advice?  (Read 6218 times)

Offline Caleb Cattuzzo

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So I'm a high school senior about to enlist in the Army and I want to get into a career involving the space industry.My grades are average,I'm wondering what schools should I look at a majors.Plz help
« Last Edit: 03/07/2018 06:48 pm by Caleb Cattuzzo »
There is no strife,no prejudice,no national conflict in space as yet.Its hazards are hostile to us all.

Offline Jim

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #1 on: 03/07/2018 06:56 pm »
So I'm a high school senior about to enlist in the Army and I want to get into a career involving the space industry.My grades are average,I'm wondering what schools should I look at a majors.Plz help

I would go in the air force.  They have enlisted space careers. 

Offline Caleb Cattuzzo

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #2 on: 03/07/2018 07:22 pm »
I would but I have my heart set on being a ground pounder for a few years before I go into the space industry
There is no strife,no prejudice,no national conflict in space as yet.Its hazards are hostile to us all.

Offline mike robel

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #3 on: 03/07/2018 10:20 pm »
By ground pounder, if you mean infantry that is not really compatible with an interest in space.  Signal Corps which uses satellite communications, aviation repair or even a helicopter pilot (you can go from high school to flight school, unlike the other services), Air Defense Artillery, especially Patriot, THAAD, and the ABM sites in Alaska, and specialties, of which I am not aware of, that are used in the army space command units would seem a better fit.

Speaking as a retired combat arms officer and a space fan, I'd carefully consider something other than infantry if you really want to be involved in a technical field such as space.  Combat Arms can be fun and rewarding but they do not particularly prepare you for highly technical fields.

Offline aceshigh

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #4 on: 03/07/2018 10:48 pm »
errr... he did mention space INDUSTRY... he never mentioned he wanted to be an astronaut.

maybe he wants to design rockets, or satellites, be a mission planner... who knows.

he should give some info about his interests.

Offline Caleb Cattuzzo

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #5 on: 03/08/2018 12:11 am »
I would like to get into astronautics So spacecraft design and engineering
There is no strife,no prejudice,no national conflict in space as yet.Its hazards are hostile to us all.

Offline MATTBLAK

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #6 on: 03/08/2018 12:20 am »
For U.S. citizens; follow the advice of folk like Jim and markstark, because they know what's what. And spare some energy to fight for your space programs and industries - and resist, resist, resist the growing cult of flat earthism and anti-space propaganda in your own country. It is very, very real :(
« Last Edit: 03/08/2018 02:00 am by MATTBLAK »
"Those who can't, Blog".   'Space Cadets' of the World - Let us UNITE!! (crickets chirping)

Offline Markstark

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I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #7 on: 03/08/2018 01:38 am »
Hey Caleb. Don’t fret about average grades in high school. I graduated high school with a 2.2 gpa and worked my way to a job at the space agency. I did tech school and became an A&P mechanic. I worked aviation for a few years and then decided to do engineering so I signed for community college. Then got a  bachelors degree at state school and masters after that (I kind of like school). Might consider getting an army gig that will give you the opportunity to work with airplanes or helicopters. I know they have several units. Then use your gi bill to get a mechanical or aerospace degree.

My school choice was influenced by whether they previously had students who interned at NASA. Obviously, NASA isn’t the only aerospace player but it’s what I was fixated on at the time. There are so many companies in the aerospace sector with great internship programs.
« Last Edit: 03/08/2018 01:47 am by Markstark »

Offline mike robel

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #8 on: 03/08/2018 12:53 pm »
errr... he did mention space INDUSTRY... he never mentioned he wanted to be an astronaut.

maybe he wants to design rockets, or satellites, be a mission planner... who knows.

he should give some info about his interests.

If this was directed at my advice, I understand.  What I am saying is becoming an infantryman does not support his long term goal of working in the space industry.  There are other branches in the army that would give him a background in some of the systems of space operations, Signal Corps, Air Defense, Field Artillery (to a lesser extent), and Aviation.

Offline Jim

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #9 on: 03/08/2018 05:38 pm »
I would like to get into astronautics So spacecraft design and engineering

Then don't go into infantry.

Offline Caleb Cattuzzo

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #10 on: 03/08/2018 06:44 pm »
I would like to get into astronautics So spacecraft design and engineering

Then don't go into infantry.

I'm actually trying to get into airborne yes I know that it isn't the best path but its the one I want to take and I was wondering what major I should go after and what are some good schools for getting into space engineering.I appreciate all the advice so far
There is no strife,no prejudice,no national conflict in space as yet.Its hazards are hostile to us all.

Offline Jim

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #11 on: 03/08/2018 06:45 pm »
I would like to get into astronautics So spacecraft design and engineering

Then don't go into infantry.

I'm actually trying to get into airborne yes I know that it isn't the best path but its the one I want to take and I was wondering what major I should go after and what are some good schools for getting into space engineering.I appreciate all the advice so far

That will just delay your end goal.  If you went into a space related enlisted field, some of your training could be used as credits toward a degree.   But it is your life.

Any school with aerospace engineering
« Last Edit: 03/08/2018 06:51 pm by Jim »

Offline mike robel

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #12 on: 03/08/2018 07:18 pm »
Other people jump out of airplanes.  Pretty much everyone but armor.  I agree with Jim.

Offline Caleb Cattuzzo

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #13 on: 03/12/2018 06:49 pm »
Schools and majors - are you mechanically or electrically inclined? Designing a spacecraft can be the hardware, the electrical systems and even the software code that makes the whole thing work, You need to follow your interests. Look at the AvWeek article and see where those kids are attending.

I prefer hardware over software personally but I know that both are equally important.
There is no strife,no prejudice,no national conflict in space as yet.Its hazards are hostile to us all.

Offline ThereIWas3

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #14 on: 03/12/2018 07:03 pm »
Space industry is a very wide field.  The women at Playtex who sewed together the Apollo spacesuits were participants in the space industry, though that may not have been what you had in mind doing...  My point is, there is a lot more to it than just rockets and thrust and aerodynamics.  There is a lot of software, for example.  Not just operational systems, but the computational fluid dynamics that places like SpaceX uses to work out a lot of details that 50 years ago were done with slide rules and "lets try this and see if it works".

Offline speedevil

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #15 on: 03/12/2018 08:50 pm »
'First make a large fortune'.

Offline Caleb Cattuzzo

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Re: I want to get into the space industry any advice?
« Reply #16 on: 03/22/2018 07:58 pm »
Space industry is a very wide field.  The women at Playtex who sewed together the Apollo spacesuits were participants in the space industry, though that may not have been what you had in mind doing...  My point is, there is a lot more to it than just rockets and thrust and aerodynamics.  There is a lot of software, for example.  Not just operational systems, but the computational fluid dynamics that places like SpaceX uses to work out a lot of details that 50 years ago were done with slide rules and "lets try this and see if it works".

Of course I know that I'm just more of a hardware guy and I've always had trouble with software sometimes.
There is no strife,no prejudice,no national conflict in space as yet.Its hazards are hostile to us all.

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