A Review of Aerospace Careers, 2010 - 2030

Space Tourism has the potential to become of the largest Aerospace Industries of the 21st century. Spurred on by science fiction in the late 1800s, sci-fi fan clubs that began in the 1930s, the post-WWII Space Race, the American Moon Landing, and the world of the Mars Society, tourism is space is a reality, though an expensive one in 2008.

Back on the early 1970s the parent company of Ponderosa Steakhouses in Dayton, Ohio purchased or leased the first restaurant spot to be reserved on a US space station, but that contract expired before either the Russian Space Station cld offer room or the International Space Station was completed. The ISS still had no room aboard for a restaurant. As a result, the only restaurants in space at the start of the 21st century have been the fictitious Restaurant at the End of the Universe , by Douglass Adams and one that was likely in the space hotel of The Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl, the canteen in Star Wars , Quark's on Deep Space Nine , and a few others. With the advent of restaurants and hotels in space, Hospitality and Accommodations jobs will join space travel occupations in the Space Tourism Industry. this is all a branch of the Aviation and Aerospace Industry.

The career fields and occupations in aviation and aerospace may be divided into the following sectors:

• Aviation - Private and Government
• Aerospace Exploration and Transportation (eg. to the ISS)
• Aerospace Defense
• Aeronautics
• Aircraft - Air Transportation and Defense; Airplanes, Helicopters, and Experimental Aircraft
• Astronomy, Space & related - Research, atmospheric investigations, etc.
• Rocketry
• Sciences - All fields of natural and social sciences can be respresented.
• Aerospace Tourism: Emerging career field: 2000 - 2030. Careers and jobs parallel to the aircraft travel and tourism sector are needed in this emerging industry, as well as the work of professionals other Aerospace divisions.
• Space Medicine and Health - This the practice of general medicine and some specialties as well as Public Health issues. For instance, one of these issues has been bone loss resulting from 0-gravity or reduced gravity. It was once thought if we exercized 2 hours a day, bone loss was staved off, but now we know that even 6 or more hours are not enough! Vibrating bed rolls (oversimplification) help reduce bone loss during sleep in space, but we need to exercise and figure out how to practically create gravity in space. We have been planning living and specialized medical facilitites on Luna for some time (at least since the early 1990s) and on Mars.

Paul Allen's SpaceShipOne was the first privately-funded spaceship able to reach and maintain height of suborbital space - twice in five days. It was the grand prize winner of the Ansari X-Prize in 2004 and $10,000,000.

The much-sought X-Prize commemorated the a $25,000 prize purse claimed by Charles Lindbergh when he flew the first solo transatlantic flight, from New York City to Paris in 1927. Seventy-seven years later, man flew private spacecraft into the suborbital regions, opening the way for private sector space freight and space tourism. To this end, Richard Branson works with Team SpaceShipOne for the space travel firm Virgin Galactic.

Paul Allen's THE SCIENCE FICTION MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME (SFM)is a testament to the dreams and drive of individuals who could imagine space travel even in the 1800s. Science fiction or futurist thought often leads to science fact. It is a drawing board of the mind and literature, an architecture for the future. related to this, the opening montage of the television series Enterprise, set to song in Faith of the Heart is a tribute to that dreaming and drive.

Three categories of occupations are the most visibly increasing and will continue to increase in jobs created and offered through 2016. Given the emergence and rise of private sector space flight and exploration , we can expect to see a surge in new jobs within these categories through 2040 or beyond, if the private sector continues to develop and expand.

Aerospace Engineers are individuals that design, develop, and test aircraft, including spacecraft, and missiles and oversee the manufacture of all of these. The aeronautical engineers are concerned with aircraft and astronautical engineers with spacecraft. Looking at numbers and types of related job openings and results of successful job resumes and applications, I find that both types of engineers under this heading are finding jobs in the airplane and spacecraft engine manufacturing business.

Aerospace engineers provide new technologies for aviation, defense systems, and space exploration. Some of them specialize in 1) structural design, 2) guidance, navigation and control systems and parts, 3) instrumentation and communication devices, components, and systems,and 4) production methods.

Some aerospace engineers specialize in a specific line, including 1) commercial aircraft, 2) military fighter jets, 3) helicopters, 4) spacecraft, or 5) missiles and rockets. For example, one could specialize in instruments and communications in spacecraft or guidance systems for missiles. Other areas of specialty can include acoustics, aerodynamics, celestial mechanics, propulsion, and thermodynamics.

These engineers need at least a bachelor's degree and may require a masters or PhD for some endeavors. They also need an engineering license from their US state or District of Columbia. Growth in Aerospace Engineering jobs will provide 10% or more new jobs through 2016 and will expand further as commercial spaceflight gains credence and practicality. Space Exploration and Defense initiatives in the US Government will also provide positive impact on job increases. Median salaries in 2006 were over $87,000 and salaries topped out at over $125,000.

Engineers from other fields cross over into Aerospace, including Chemical, Civil, Biomedical, Electrical, Industrial, Environmental, Materials, Mechanical, Nuclear, Petroleum, Plastics, and Safety. For these purposes, Architects can can also be consdered engineers for Aerospace and the Aviation/Aeropace Drafters their technicians.

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Techniciansbuild, test, and repair & maintain aircraft, spacecraft and related vehicles such as experimental craft. They design and implement maintenance and test schedules, analyze test results and make accurate, detailed reports. In addition, they calibrate equipment, run regular diagnostic checks, and troubleshoot machines and tools. Computer, mathematics, and database literacy are required and important to the work of these technicians.

These technicians often work closely with engineers and scientists in a narrowly focused project. They may be employed in research and development (R & D), manufacturing, sales, building, inspection, and repair/maintenance in the aerospace and aviation sectors.. Most of these technicians must have a training certificate or 2-year associate's degree. Through 2016, the numbers of these jobs is set to increase in both the commercial and government sectors to match or surpass that of Aerospace Engineers. Median salaries in 2006 ranged from $40 - 50K and have topped out at over $73,000.

Computer Software Engineers - Computer software is a vital part of the operation of aircraft and spacecraft, demanding increasing numbers of qualified Computer Software Engineers. These individuals design, develop, and test software, coming up with faster, more efficient, more correct programs for spacecraft and aircraft operations and maintenance. This expertise reaches farther, into missiles and defense, satellites and space stations, the Space Elevator, Lunar Living Modules, weather tracking systems, and several other areas. Jobs for these engineers will increase by at least 38% between 2006 - 2016. Median salaries hit $70,000+ in 2006 and have topped at over $100,000.

A number of schools provide certification and training programs in software engineering, but some vital personal qualities are needed. Computer Software Engineers must be able to analyze and figure out problems and communicate clearly and precisely in a responsive way. They must be able to focus, concentrate determinedly, and attend to details.

• Aeronautical Drafters - Thes individuals contruct the diagrams of future aircraft, airacft components and related products. Most willuse advanced computer graphics programs designed for aircraft design.
• Air Traffic Controllers
• Aircraft and Avionics Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians - This category contains a large number of interesting and well-paying jobs. Techs can study and earn certification at any oen of 170 or more educational facilities approved and registered by the FAA. Techs can be licensed by the FAA as well, after 18 to 30 months of consistent work experience that meets FAA standards. These indiviuals may advance to crew chief, head inspector, or shop supervisor with additional experience and certification. Medianwages in 2006 hit abut $23.00/hr, with top wages reaching more than $35.00/hr.
• Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
• Aircraft pilots, copiots, and flight engineers
• Aircraft Assemblers and fabricators
• Airfield operations specialists
• Flight attendants
• Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks

Occuations parallel to the ones listed above are begining to emerge in the Space Tourism Industry. Growth may be slow becuase of the high expense of space travel.

Additional Astronautical Careers

• USAF Careers at Air Force Link
• Aerospace Positions with NASA: Careers at NASA
• Josb with SpaceShipOne makers Scaled Composites.

Aviation and Aerospace Career Guide

This site is a directory of aerospace and aviation careers that provides a long list of occuations and detailed job descriptions for each. It is updated with the advent of each new job or career field that emerges from the combined Aviation and Aerospace Industry.

Careers on the Space Coast

• Top 20 Alabama Jobs - The Space Coast in Alabama needs aerospace workers and others, including construction and additional workers for the rebuilding of yearly hurricane damage.
• Top 20 Jobs in Florida - Famous for Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy and the History of Space Flight, Florida needs aerospace and otehr workers.
• Top 10 Jobs in Miami-Hialeah - High paying jobs in a variety of fields and occupation titles make this good relocation site for Young Professionals and Mid-Careerists. Many of the positions in demand by the Aerospace Indusry are available here.
• Top 10 Jobs In Orlando, Florida - One of the Top 25 Best US Cities for Jobs and Business -- Information Technology (IT), epseically in aerospace-related businesses and Healthcare positions are growing in number, as well as legal and education careers.

The Aerospace Corridor in Cincinnati-Dayton combined Metro Area

Top 10 Jobs in Cincinnati and the Cincinnati-Dayton Space Corridor

It is difficult to become a US Government, NASA astronaut and this is not a High Growth Career. However, the possibility for "Private Sector Astronaut" as a career choice may become real as Paul Allen et.al., Virgin Galactic, and others expand their work and businesses.

In fact, from 1959 through 2008, only 321 NASA astronauts have been hired. That is an average of fewer than 7 per year, although astronauts are not selected every year but only occasionally in groups known as classes .

The 2008 NASA Astronaut Class of 11 individuals includes two math and science teachers (one middle school, one high school), two pilots, a Navy SEAL, two engineers, a flight surgeon (doctor), a high school science teacher, an orthopedic surgeon (bone surgeon), and a a private pilot in charge of health at the ISS. They range in age from 28 to 43, various nationalities and ethnicities, and two are women.

The NASA astronaut selection process is available at the following contact:

NASA Johnson Space Center

Mail Code AHX

2101 NASA Parkway

Houston, TX 77058-3696

astronaut.selection@mail.nasa.gov

281-483-5907

it is possible to become an astronaut and never fly in space. NASA astronauts not only journey into space, but also work on the ground in support positions and as educators in the NASA Astronaut Educator program that coordinates with communites around the US to aide in the instruction of STEM core classes (eg mathematics, statistics, and sciences) and recruiting young people in to math and science careers (not necessarily with NASA).

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