Hi Charlie, I was like you even before my teens, if I were to sum up what
helped me the most it was what came naturally, my burning passion for
rockets. Everything else fell into place. Once I learned to read,around 3rd
or 4th grade, I read my fathers college chemistry physics and rocket books.
This put fuel on my burning passion. I built and flew Estes rockets while
continuing to read.
Next I got a copy of Rocket Propulsion Elements by George Sutton. Then
bought a scientific calculator,at SR-50 for $150 (this was 1970) which did
the math that I had problems with in high school. Most rocket equations use
basic math anyway so don't worry about the more advanced math unless you're
pursuing a degree that requires it but I didn't spend much time in school
because I was blessed with finding employment in the rocket business in my
early 20's which kept me busy until I started my own consulting business.
Having a mentor will be instrumental if you're lucky enough to find one,
Bob Truax was mine and lived within a 100 miles from me and we shared the
same test site where he tested Evel Knevel's steam rocket. Another blessing
was having access to Areojet's surplus disposal yard near Sacramento. They
had titanium helium spheres that the sales person said were specially
treated for immersion in the Titan 1 LOx tanks.
This is an abridged list but covers the highlights but the burning passion
is paramount without which I would not have gone anywhere.
BTW, I'm currently mentoring some high school students on their
LOx/Kerosene flight rocket which is scheduled to fly this spring or summer
at the FAR facility in S. Cal. If you're interested in following the
progress of this project contact me off list.
You're getting into the most exciting careers and I wish you the best of
luck.
Ken
On Mon, Mar 15, 2021 at 2:27 PM Charlie Jackson <
charliejackson8629@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello everyone,
As I am aware, a multitude of people here have extensive experience in
working with rocket propulsion, both on amateur and professional
applications. Rockets have become a large passion of mine to learn about
and I want to get a career in the topic, so if you don’t mind, could I ask
a few questions?
-what can I start doing now, at age 14, that will benefit me in the long
run
-what does a typical workday consist of when managing/designing rockets?
-what recourses (books, websites, etc) do you recommend to expand my
knowledge on the topic?
-What company’s are doing interesting work in the field?
-What technology have you worked on and what was it like to see it perform
the way it did?
Kind regards, Charlie