Rockets capture the fancy of many people . . . in and out of the land of science “Geek-dom” (and my wife can attest that I fall into that realm LOL).
Since rocket pioneers like Robert Goddard and Werner Von Braun flew their experiemental rockets in the 1920’s through 1940’s, pop culture was quick to snatch up on the idea of shiny, tube shaped vehicles with pointed noses and short stubby wings on the base that would soar into the heavens to go to far off cosmic destinations.
Pop serials such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon also helped fuel the craze, ultimately leading countless school boys away from playing only Western cowboys to becoming intrepid space men who visited other planets and fought against hostile aliens bent on conquering earth (e.g. Ming the Merciless, the Martians in War of the Worlds, Khan from Star Trek, etc).
Then came the Space Race, with the US and USSR battling for space supremacy. Programs such as Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo further captivated the next generation of scientists and engineers. Homer Hickman was one of those (played by Jake Gyllenhall in Rocket Boys) among others. Among rocket lovers came a desire to build, design, and launch rockets of their very own. This led to model rocketry rising up, and many enthusiasts, most of them young, set out to do just that. Companies like Estes (www.estesrockets.com), PML (publicmissiles.com) and others began to build rocket kits for the most avid rocket lover to build and fly. Large-scale Model Rocketry clubs such as Tripoli and the National Association of Rocketry (or NAR, which your’s truly is a member of BTW. See www.nar.org).
Why do I cite all of this? I say this because to work on the big rockets (e.g. NASA’s new Orion Spacecraft, the Space Launch System or SLS, etc), you have to be a part of and appreciate the “smaller-scale” ones like model rockets, and remember the Science-Fiction inspirations that fueled your craze for space.
That could be Star Wars, Star Trek (being a MAJOR BIGGIE FOR ME), Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Flash Gordon, or others. NASA and major space contractors want tech-workers (scientists, physicists, metallurgists, engineers, chemists, etc) that WANT to be there. It’s not enough to have the technical know-how, but you have to WANT it and have the HEART to do it.
You ask, “how can I get involved”? Start small, and never stop trying again and again. I remember this myself when flying my first 2-stage rocket, which was an Estes Scorpion which I built when I was 13. It’s still on my desk (and is in my current, official logo for The Great Galactic Space Gimmick).
This led me to an ultimate goal of pursuing Electrical Engineering, and ultimately on to the Space Industry . . . and the launch of the largest 2-stage I’ve ever flown. It was a Delta IV carrying NASA’s Orion (built by Lockheed) on her maiden flight in December 2014.
And who knows what the next generation of rocket scientists will devise? Also, there could still be life in the senior engineering/science crowd to pull off a late-career or late-life surprise for the Space Community. Maybe they will be moving us past explosive chemical launch vehicles to more exotic propulsions such as anti-gravity, hall-thrusters, theoretical Cannae-thrust, or those in Doc Brown’s DeLorean wheels. Time will tell, but I know it needs ambition and heart behind it, and it’s the only way to make a Niche Career out of it.
And let’s not forget blend this with a bit of sci-fi inspiration & nostalgia to engage both Geek-dom and everybody else too. Rockets and their purpose is for every peace-loving person on earth and we need to see this flourish until the Star Ships are invented!
For The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, I’m Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski. 🙂
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