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Chosen career:
Environmental Engineer
Engineering
Description
Environmental engineers make sure that the spacecraft can survive in the environments that it will travel to or through. This includes launch, orbit, interplanetary travel, other planets, and re-entry to the Earth. They must consider protection systems such as radiation and heat shields.
Routes
A degree in science or engineering and sometimes a postgraduate qualification. There are also apprenticeships instead of degrees.
Example UK Employers
Thales Alenia Space
Key Stage 2 Curriculum Links
Science
Properties and changes of materials: Environmental engineers know about changes that may happen to the materials a spacecraft is made of.
Earth and space: Environmental engineers know about the conditions that a satellite will be under.
Forces: Environmental engineers consider the forces that will act on a spacecraft, during launch and in orbit.
Other
Design and technology: Environmental engineers need to be a part of the whole design process for a spacecraft.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum Links
Chemistry
Energetics: Environmental engineers know about energy changes caused by changes of state of materials, such as cryogenic liquid fuels.
Materials: Environmental engineers know about the changes that occur to the materials the spacecraft is made from under different conditions.
Earth and atmosphere: Environmental engineers know about the conditions and processes that occur on Earth and in the atmosphere and how they may affect the spacecraft before and during launch.
Physics
Motion and forces: Environmental engineers know about the forces that may act on the spacecraft and the effects these will have.
Matter (inc Space physics): Environmental engineers know about possible phase changes that may take place and affect the spacecraft, as well as the effects of different processes in space on changes to the environment the spacecraft will be in.
Other
Design and technology: Environmental engineers need to be a part of the whole design process for a spacecraft.
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