oh..and...well, I worked for the space program so that would count for me too I guess
Best,
Shalin
I've been asked a bunch of times "who/what is a rocket scientist?" I've considered myself to be one because I studied aeronautical/astronautical engineering in college (B.S.; my M.S. focused on space systems functional design more than physics equations, though.) and that's probably as close as you can get through the formal education route (well, you could get a related Ph.D., lead a research design/testing team, etc.). But there isn't *exactly* anyone with an official title "Rocket Scientist". Why? well, take a look at the following links.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080628144709AA2InMQ
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/rocket-scientist-20060818-transcipt.html
(audio) http://www.nasa.gov/mp3/154912main_rocket-scientist-20060817.mp3
excerpt:
*****
Narrator: How to Build a Rocket Scientist. I'm JP and you're listening to a podcast from JPL - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. First of all, what exactly is a rocket scientist?
People on the street: A rocket scientist? Somebody who works on rockets, sends them to Mars and wherever. Someone who builds rockets as a hobby and for work. NASA. Um, just someone that's really smart. Somebody who is really bright and kinda out there, (laughter).
Narrator: It might surprise you to learn that there really is no such thing as a rocket scientist. There are rocket engineers, and there are scientists. But since everyone knows the term rocket scientist, we'll go ahead and use it generically. We're going to talk with a JPL rocket scientist, two student rocket scientists under construction, and we'll find out how JPL's education office can help parents and teachers build their own rocket scientists.
*****
Without consulting Wikipedia, etc. here's my take:
I guess a "Rocket Scientist" is a compliment that came about when a lot of Americans really admired and were excited by the educated folks who were involved in the space race during the cold war - mostly guys like Wernher von Braun and his associates. Science advancements were huge then and folks many scientists were considered national heroes similar to how many think of Dean Kamen, Steve Jobs, etc. these days. Put the two words together and you've got a new term for the new category of heroes.
Interestingly enough, a compliment amongst those at NASA would be something like,"You were real steely-eyed missle man on that one!" - which generally refers more to "rubber meets the road" mission operations while "rocket scientist" refers more to the design and analysis.
Anyway, with all the talk about mathematicians, physicists, and rocket scientists in the financial world these days...I thought I'd straighten out some misconceptions.
so...just wondering - what do you or did you think a rocket scientist was anyhow?
Best,
Shalin

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