As we head toward the finish/start line for another big lap around our sun, let’s highlight some great resources that provide a recap of major aerospace accomplishments, developments, and disappointments from 2014.
Recently I got my December issue of the magazine Aerospace America from AIAA (the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics). This is their annual Year in Review issue, and it’s another fantastic high-density information download for any well-informed aerospace professional.
It has a recap from 65 Technical Committees! Plus a great commentary from Marco Caceres of the Teal Group about the two serious setbacks at the end of this year with the Antares rocket and SpaceShipTwo.
The TC’s cover aeronautics as well as space. And they cover more than US developments, such as hypersonic flights in China and satellite launches in India. They are very technical, in areas such as software, structures, propulsion, aerodynamics, and more. And they also include TCs for management and legal matters, which always have a busy year. The ESA Philae landing on a comet is probably the most historic milestone for 2014. Although another disruptive milestone was when NASA emailed a wrench to the ISS, which just happened this month.
With the holidays approaching I will probably not maintain the daily weekday blog posting. I’ll share some other year-end resources and some projections for 2015. If you want 2015 to be a year for more rocket science or aerospace accomplishments in your life, now is the time to reflect on where you are and set some goals for where you want to be. Without conscious and focused effort on your part, you’ll be at the mercy and whim of forces beyond your control. Just like aircraft that hit crosswinds or turbulence…which they all do.
And we need more help in 2015! There are still major problems to solve and challenges to overcome. How to handle the burst of UAVs in the commercial airspace…how to provide affordable access to space…will 2015 finally be the year we see the first operational start to suborbital tourism? In short, we need more rocket scientists! More who are capable, innovative, resourceful, and with grit. Let’s take care, and take charge.