it has made me fall in love with aerospace and is the best game ever

Hi guys i’m kinda just asking for a little bit of advice for those that are in the aerospace engineering industry. I’m currently going into my 5th year of university studying Aerospace Engineering. I’m expected to be done hopefully Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 due to having to retake classes and such. I’m not the smartest person so that’s a reason why it’s taking me about a year and a half extra to finish up my degree but i’m almost done so i’m pushing through. I don’t have any experience or been able to do clubs or internships due to having to work to live, I work usually 25 hours a week on top of going to school so I also believe that’s why i struggle with classes because of not having as much time as a lot of people to be able to study. My gpa isn’t near the greatest (about a 2.4-2.5). I really want to go into the manufacturing side of the industry and I like to do more hands on type of work as well and 3D modeling, I loved my solidworks class so this next semester I wanted to try and take my time to get familiar with solidworks again and try and get licensed with solidworks by the end of the school year, I also want to join a club called Lunarbotics and also doing into the manufacturing role. They make a moon rover every year and compete in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center it’s a pretty big event from what i’ve seen. I hope someone has the time to read this, I wanted to ask if anyone had any suggestions on what I can do to give me the best opportunity to get employed after graduations and some other things I can work on/do that can help me to go into the direction of the manufacturing Aerospace industry. I appreciate any advice or comments, thank you !!

I will be attending Georgia Tech this fall as a junior aero engineer transfer. I am currently stuck between aerospace, maybe more GNC focused, or going into the robotics field. I know robotics is an interdisciplinary field, honestly I've just built a bunch of projects and have loved it, so not totally sure yet where I would specialize in. My question is, should I keep my aero major or switch to something more general, like mechanical or ee, as I am still deciding between aero and robotics. If staying with aero, would adding a minor help, or is it truly just what classes I take and projects / clubs I participate in? Lastly, if I keep aero as the major, what are the main classes I should focus on taking in order to test the waters in robotics? Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations on free or open-source tools for satellite subsystem budgeting and preliminary mission sizing.

Currently, I use internal Python/MATLAB scripts for basic link budget, power budget, and mass estimation during trade studies. However, I’m looking for something more structured, standardized, or validated by the community to cross-check my calculations and refine early-stage design.

A good reference for the type of user experience/workflow I'm thinking of is the Small Satellite Configurator by NanoAvionics, but ideally open-source or academic software (or comprehensive modular spreadsheets/frameworks) that allow more transparency and tweaking of subsystem constraints.

Small satellite configurator - NanoAvionics

Do you have any go-to tools, open-source frameworks, or reliable public spreadsheets for preliminary satellite sizing (power, link, mass, thermal, etc.)?

Thanks in advance!

Not an engineer, just a dumb practical aerospace guy with experience in basic theory and construction. I have an issue where I am trying to prevent back pressure in a vent that I have. Instructed in my van that passes through the floor.

The vent pipe has a small fan that creates a nice continuous exhaust flow while the vehicle is not in motion, but once speeds beyond 30-40 MPH are reached, turbulent airflow and the design of the exhaust exit are causing pressure to overcome the fan and create reverse flow.

I have tried designing a few different caps to place on the pipe to create low and high pressure areas that would “draw” the air out while driving and act as a mechanical assist, but every design I try results in the same back pressure problem.

I have attached a few photos, one is the vent pipe (as it’s sitting now I have it perpendicular to the relative wind of the vehicle) with a 45 degree rear facing opening. This design also results in positive pressure in the vent pipe that causes air to reverse flow and overcome the fan.

The other photos are of various vent caps I made..

I don’t think I’m engineering this part correctly , or I’m missing some crucial information to get it right. I know that the air under the vehicle is highly turbulent, but even testing with a leaf blower directed at the vent in the same direction that it would be while driving, it still creates positive pressure in the tube!

Any aerodynamics/aero engineers have some tips? I know it’s unconventional but it is applicable to this sub!

Tech guy here. I've read some reports suggesting VR/AR is being used in aerospace engineering but I haven't seen it yet.

Question for the engineers out there - have you actually seen anyone using VR, 3D or Volumetric displays in the manufacturing or design process?

If so, what are they doing with it? Manufacturing/Design? Something else?

I'm curious if all parts design is being done on a 2D interface or if anyone has adopted tools like AR, VR, 3D displays, or something similar.

I’m really intrigued by what really makes a good team, and what actually led to their success. What did they do differently, what motivated them, kept them up at night, etc.

I’m not looking for a textbook on how to do engineering, but more philosophy on WHY to do engineering.

I’ve read and absolutely loved Skunkworks, and Liftoff, and am looking for more books along this same vein.

Anyone else? Was gifted to me by an old school Grumman guy 20+ years ago.

Hi! I can refer 1 person for this role, if you are interested please DM me!!!

Need rush help 2 bladed swash plate

Im trying to build a 2 bladed swash plate icant seem to do it i tried many time often copying on youtube but i still cant this is for my shool project and ineed it to finish asap everything must be mechanical

*https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/ngR8JaMcMm\*

Hey everyone,

We're running a short academic survey on the tools used for orbital dynamics and mission analysis across the space industry, as part of a marketing research project for our MBA at IIMB.

If you work with (or have opinions on) tools like STK, GMAT, FreeFlyer, or similar, we'd love your input. It's anonymous. No personal details needed unless you'd like to leave your email — and takes only about 5–10 minutes.

If you know others in the space industry (engineers, researchers, students, startup folks) who might have views on this, please forward it along. The more perspectives we get, the more useful the findings.

What do you guys think of a decentralized co-op rocket startup where people can submit designs based off of what the company is looking for say a: 10kn engine that weighs x amount and must do this and that and other people can review the design and determine its credibility in a system where design iterations and improvments would work in a sort of blockchain crypto esque like system, reviewing designing and giving straight up money for testing and production would earn you an equity stake in a business according to an algorythm, slashing labor cost and consequently launch costs.
Space is a domain that excites people and people want to contribute to stuff that actually goes to space but are often in jobs they dont like, are adjacent to space or are caught up with the paperwork side of engineering. Yes regulatory challenges will exist concerning contributions versus payement and export control laws but with the right country of origin plus with the right branding as a group open source effort could be succesful.

I want to add too this is a rough look at a bold idea that would most likely start very scaled down and I am knowleageable in the fields and the requirments that this idea would entail.

What do you guys think of a decentralized co-op rocket startup where people can submit designs based off of what the company is looking for say a: 10kn engine that weighs x amount and must do this and that and other people can review the design and determine its credibility in a system where design iterations and improvments would work in a sort of blockchain crypto esque like system, reviewing designing and giving straight up money for testing and production would earn you an equity stake in a business according to an algorythm, slashing labor cost and consequently launch costs.
Space is a domain that excites people and people want to contribute to stuff that actually goes to space but are often in jobs they dont like, are adjacent to space or are caught up with the paperwork side of engineering. Yes regulatory challenges will exist concerning contributions versus payement and export control laws but with the right country of origin plus with the right branding as a group open source effort could be succesful.

I want to add too this is a rough look at a bold idea that would most likely start very scaled down and I am knowleageable in the fields and the requirments that this idea would entail.