Children are naturally curious. From the moment they start asking “why,” they’re reaching toward the world in their own way. The challenge for parents isn’t how to teach curiosity — it’s how to avoid shutting it down. Too often, pressure to perform or move faster replaces the slower, richer process of genuine exploration. Supporting a […]
As I write this in August 2025, almost every day I see something in the news about AI (artificial intelligence) that makes me excited to be alive in this point in history. Or very nervous. Or often, both. It might be a cliche to say that AI is the most disruptive technology humanity has ever […]
It’s that time of year again to join the world’s largest innovation hackathon dedicated to aviation and aerospace. Registrations are now open for the 2025 NASA Space Apps Challenge hackathon. This two-day global hackathon brings together problem-solvers of all ages and backgrounds to tackle real-world challenges using NASA’s free and open data. Taking place the […]
Historic news from this month, widely reported in many news outlets, such as ZeroHedge, is that Elon Musk’s Starbase Is Now A Real City. This is exciting news for SpaceX and their audacious efforts to bring Starship reusable rocket operations into a full tempo. But let’s think bigger picture here. Starbase as an official city […]
This month I had an energizing and enlightening visit to see some students at the University of Nevada in Reno. They are all passionate about aerospace and aviation. But none of them are aerospace engineering majors. Because UNR doesn’t have an aerospace engineering department! Or an aerospace engineering major. However, through a student-led club called […]
One of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked over the many years I’ve had this website are variations on the question, “How can I get a job in an aerospace or aviation company in the USA as an international student?” I’ve never had an answer that was easy, certain, or fast. This hasn’t changed […]
Getting laid off sucks. Usually. Sometimes it is actually immediately seen as a good thing. But when I got laid off from Boeing in the summer of 2014, I did not initially see it as a good thing. There have been some major layoffs in the aerospace world recently. Last week, Blue Origin announced it […]
What is it like to work at SpaceX? REENTRY, the latest book by space journalist Eric Berger, is a thrilling look inside the company in the years that it struggled to make its boosters reusable, produce a Dragon capsule that could deliver supplies and astronauts to the space station, and compete against the traditional aerospace […]
As we wrap up the year 02024, I have some brief thoughts that will (hopefully) benefit anyone who wants to enter the world of aerospace and aviation in their years ahead. These thoughts are about setting your systems, not goals, for 02025. In case you are wondering why I wrote the year with 5 digits, […]
