How to Be a Rocket Scientist in 10 Steps

Last updated on June 11, 2021

I am a writer. I am a writer with a day job. That day job is in the aerospace industry. I have worked in said industry since 1993 in various ways, so I know a few things and I think I’m qualified to have something to say about it. I wrote this post for anyone who is curious about what it means to be a rocket scientist, and maybe aid those who want to become one some day, but not by studying for a degree in aerospace.

The first thing to know is this: I am not a rocket scientist. 

Yes, to the outside observer, I kind of am. I work on space stuff and to many people, most notably my grandmother, that means I’m a rocket scientist. (My grandmother also thought I was an astronaut, too, and I understand she spent her last few years telling everyone in and around Boynton Beach, Florida, that I was. Let me set the record straight: I am not an astronaut. I applied to the program once in 1998, and NASA rejected me because, well, I have never had that kind of right stuff, mostly referring to the level of athleticism that astronauts typically have. I had plenty of wrong stuff, including a pile of extra pounds that were not muscle and a VERY healthy and intense fear of flying.)

Inside the industry, we don’t refer to each other as rocket scientists. People like me, who are software engineers and work on satellites, often look at the people who work on any form of propulsive technology in space as rocket scientists. So, that would be the people who work on satellite propulsion systems and people who work on rockets. 

I have some good friends who work on satellite propulsion systems, and they don’t think of themselves as rocket scientists either. They point to the people who work on rockets. I know many people who work on rockets, too, and they don’t always think of themselves as rocket scientists. Key is the word “scientist.” Most people I know are engineers, and so they point back to the people who work on the very intense parts of rocketry, including the propulsive elements or aerodynamics: the things that make the rocket fly.

So my list of How to Be a Rocket Scientist in 10 steps is more aptly named: How to Impress Your Friends and Family by Being a Space Geek. 

(UPDATE: See the Infographic that I made to go along with this post!)

Step 1: Look up!
This is a true story. Years ago, I was at work and walking from one building to another with one of our VPs who I would claim is a rocket scientist for realz. The second we stepped outside, he looked up at the clear sky and the airplane that was on approach to land at the local airport. As we were entering the next building, he made a comment about how he believed the true rocket scientists or aerospace engineers look up when they’re outside. I hadn’t looked up. But then I realized – that was because it was daytime. I look up every time I walk outside at night to see which stars I see. (You see, I’m the “space” part of “aerospace,” not the “aero” part.) So, if you’re not looking up when you go outside, day or night or both, should you really be here?

Step 2: Repost all of NASA/JPL/SETI and other space organization’s posts on social media.
If you’re not reposting the things you love on social media to prove your love, then you must not love it that much. Therefore, step 2 in becoming a rocket scientist is to follow all the relevant accounts on your favorite social media platform. Adding “this is cool!” helps ensure everyone knows to associate you with the topic. You’re really into it.

Here is a list of my favorite space accounts to follow on twitter to get you started:

@NASA (and NASA has a WHOLE LOT of specific twitter feeds)
@SETIInstitute
@SpaceflightNow
@apod
@nasahqphoto
@ESA

Step 3: Make sure everyone knows that you’re aware of when rocket launches are happening and your’re watching them.
Similar to step 3. Keep up to date with the launch schedule from a website like Space Flight Now. Rocket launches put the “rocket” in rocket science. Bonus points if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where you can easily drive to see one live. Believe it or not, the stars have never aligned well enough for me to see one live. I don’t live that close and was never able to coordinate traveling at the right time without weather interference. I work a lot of launches as part of my day job, but always from very far away and in the confines of the satellite control center.

Step 4: Know some key dates in space history.
If you don’t know when and who first landed on the moon, you can’t call yourself a rocket scientist. Period. Bonus points if you know when Sputnik launched (Oct 4th, 1957), or the first man went into space (Apr 12th, 1961), or the first woman (Jun 16th, 1963), when the first space shuttle launched (Apr 12th, 1981), or the final launch (Jul 8th, 2011) and more. 

If you want to learn more about space history, here’s an article on many important events.

Step 5: Know some key people in rocket history.
If you don’t know who Robert Goddard and Wernher Van Braun were, you can’t call yourself a rocket scientist. Period. Bonus points if you know about Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and who several of our important space telescopes are named after: Hubble, Spitzer, Kepler, and James Webb. (Not an all-inclusive list.)

Just for more fun, I’m including some light reading on the history of space explanation, and a nice article of some unsung heros involved:

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/history-space-exploration/

https://www.space.com/29295-rocket-history.html

https://www.nasa.gov/50th/50th_magazine/unsungHeroes.html

Step 6: Build a model rocket.
Do this at least once in your life, even if you have no plans to be a rocket scientist. It’s just fun. I did this when I was a kid. We were fortunate to have a really wide open field at my elementary school, and this was during the days when it was still okay to play on school property on the weekends. In college, my space club talked about it, but we were near a small airport and there are rules and regulations on where and how high and such… I think we never figured it out. As a mom, I’ve been waiting for my kiddos to express interest and I would take them out and do this, but nah, it’s not a video game so it’s not interesting to them at the moment.

If you want to get started with model rocketry, sure, pick up a small kit from a hobby store, but also look at the information and tutorials put out by the National Association of Rocketry. 

Step 7: Start a space club.
Ok, maybe this is just me, but I did this when I was in college. I went to a school with something like 26,000 students near a NASA center, with all kinds of interesting aerospace related things happening – and there was no space club!? We started one. It was probably the best part of my non-academic experience at college, since it meant I had a group of friends who were just as into space and astronomy just as much as me. More than twenty years later, I still reap the benefits because I get to impress people when I tell them I started a space club back in college. By “people” I mean other engineers and geeky types.

Our club was an offshoot of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. There is still an active SEDS club at the University of Maryland, but I don’t think it traces back to my club from 25+ years ago that was based out of the Department of Astronomy.

Step 8: Go see a rocket launch live.
And this is why I’m really not a really real rocket scientist. I have never seen a rocket launch live in person. I mentioned this above. When people (in the USA) think of watching a rocket launch, they probably first think of Florida. This is certainly a great place to see a live launch. NASA has a launch viewing guide and others keep lists of viewing spots. But you can also watch launches north of Florida such as in Wallops, VA. You can even see a launch on the West Coast – although it’s a little harder. West Coast launches happen out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, but as an active air force base, it’s not open to the public. However, there are places you can view the launch from.

Step 9: Read the advice of other people.
Never take the advice or follow steps from a single person on any topic ever, even if that person is me. Here, I did some googling for you:
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/rocket-scientist-20060818-transcipt.html
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/so-you-want-my-job-rocket-scientist/
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781505484595

Huh – I just learned that someone wrote a book in 2014 with my title. I should probably read it. 

Step 10: Make sure your grandmother (or other relative who can be equally embarrassing) tells everyone they know that you’re a rocket scientist.
I think this step speaks for itself.

Bonus step: Like anything in life, keep an open mind and have some fun with it. No one should really let any one thing define you, and it’s really nice to keep learning and finding new and interesting things to learn about and do.

Till next time…