Help! Ds wants to design/engineer spacecraft

[HullyEastergully]

How what where when can he go and do?

What about residential courses etc??

I know of Smallpeice but none other.

All help most gratefully received.

[TalkinPeace2]

The Bloodhound team do LOTS of promotional stuff
its a car, with a jet engine, based on whacky chemistry for the fuel and lots of vibration research

thats the thing nowadays - so much inter disciplinary work going on at unis ....

[bruffin]

Ds did electronic engineering btec.
He is now doing maths, further maths, physics and philosophy AS and another engineering course on the side. Not sure what it is though.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

You might find some ideas on the Bloodhound SSC project as well. Although its a car, because its aimed to be the first car to travel at 1000 mph, I assume it draws heavily on aeronautics.

www.bloodhoundssc.com/education/opportunities-engage

[HullyEastergully]

Oh this fell off. It's come back. Bruffin, did your ds do dt gcse at school?

My ds is dyslexic too (retrieval ishoos)

[NewFerry]

Nick can I ask if his company also has links with mech eng department at Surrey? My DS has an offer from them for next year, subject to passing his exams of course!

[bruffin]

Thanks Frankie, very proud of him.
He is in the picture of the award ceremony on the home page. He is in the very bottom right hand corner, next to the girl with white blouse.

[Nicknamenotavailableeither]

Dh works for Surrey satellite technology (Sstl) as senior engineer doing exactly that! He did electronics engineering at Southampton but says he would recommend Surrey as Sstl have big links with them.

[frankie4]

Bruffin-thanks for that, I looked at some of the example questions on their website and it looks the sort of thing my ds would do for fun! I will keep it in mind. I just hope that he does well in maths at school. Well done to your ds for doing so well.

[bruffin]

I just realised who the doctor is, saw a programme she did on the moon.
If he is good at making things and design, get him to for the Arkwright Scholarship I mentioned above when he is yr 11. It involves two parts
Firstly an exam with very little writing.
Ds had to design 3 different machines to remove snow, then a bubble making machine for a nursery.
The best from that go forward to the interview stage where they have to present a project. Ds went to Imperial College for the day for that.

[frankie4]

He is only 12 - I'm just thinking ahead
I know there are lots of dyslexic engineers and my ds is very technical and good at making things. I guess I will have to wait and see if he is academic enough for an engineering degree....

[bruffin]

Sorry haven't heard of Dr Pocock, but my ds is dyslexic and so is my dh who is an engineer. I think there is probably a higher proportion of engineers that are dyslexic.
My dh left school at 15 and did an old fashioned apprenticeship and got his qualifications that way.
Ds is now doing A levels and hopefully now he can concentrate on what he is good at, he can get the qualifications he needs to do get where he wants.
How old is your son Frankie?

[frankie4]

My ds is dyslexic and might not get into top universities but wants to do this sort of engineering. Has anyone heard of Dr Maggie Aderin -Pocock who works at Astrium, who is an engineer, comes to talk at schools sometimes - She is dyslexic.

[NewFerry]

If your DS can access further maths at AS or A level, it would definitely help with the modules on his degree. Also, universities seem to like students who can offer FM. Bristol actually reduce their standard offer for candidates offering maths, FM and physics at A2.

If he does choose to go own the mech eng route then do check the modules carefully.

[TeWisBeenNargledByTheMistletoe]

Right, according to DH who, as I said up there would like to move into this field but currently works with aircraft, it depends a bit on exactly what he would like to do.

If he wants to be cutting edge forefront of spacecraft design, he thinks pure maths degree and applied maths pHd. Or Physics.

If he's interested in the computer programming side, possibly some kind of computer studies but that's a bit riskier because he would need to go straight from degree into working in aerospace, or he might end up becoming a generic IT guy.

Otherwise aeronautical or mechanical engineering degree with year in industry, or equivalent apprenticeship. If he looks at mechanical the course needs to include two specific units, one is "Computational Fluid Dynamics" and something that covers"Jet Propulsion, Rocket Propulsion, Ballistics".

For now he could look for a STEM club in his local area/school. Model rocket amateur clubs in his local area. If they're local you've probably been to these places already, but the space center in Leicester and science museum in London are great in general and have special events if you keep an eye on their websites. This is true for trying to get on any degree course but if you can show you're taking your interest in a subject further in your own time that's always going to help your application.

Needs maths and physics at A-level definitely, Chemistry also potential a good option (I'm sure you've thought to look up the potential university courses and check what qualifications they require).

Hope that helps.

[Amerryscot]

I would recommend a top engineering discipline (ie chemical, mechanical, civil or electrical/electronic engineering). Of those, mechanical, electronic and chemical engineering seem to be most appropriate. The aerospace bits can then be done at post graduate level.

Which universities? Any Russell Group for undergraduate.

I would like the top brains designing rockets. I'm sure NASA, et al, feel the same.

[TeWisBeenNargledByTheMistletoe]

I enquired over dinner, will be back later because I can't type it all up on this stupid phone...

[bruffin]

thanks jenai

DS has already found out about the link between Cambridge and Mit courses however his sponsor from Arkwright has told him he might be able to get him a bursery at Imperial, if he applied there.

[JenaiMathis]

I fancy Texas or France.

Just correcting the typo in bruffin's link Top 50

[TalkinPeace2]

We'll meet up at the Open days!

At the moment Imperial and MIT are probably the top 2
Soton and Stanford in the next tier I think - have not researched too much as there is no way he's going to Soton no matter how good the course is.
(no point him going to Uni 5 miles from home with DH on campus regularly!)

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

Ah. The Cambridge course does a year at MIT.

[bruffin]

Top 50 engineering and technology universities

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

Hully - our daughter is keen on aeronautical engineering at the moment, but she's only at the point of choosing A Levels. There is though a course at Cambridge she was aspiring to. My husband was talking about somewhere that might do summer holiday work experience. Neither of them are here at the mo. but I shall ask

[HullyEastergully]

Ok

Which is the best one in the whole world? (He'll want to go there)

[HullyEastergully]

is it another very scary thing I won't understand..?

[bruffin]

DS longs to go to MIT