The Seven Secrets of How to Think Like a Rocket Scientist

After receiving his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Michigan in 1979, Jim Longuski (long-gus´-ske) worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a Maneuver Analyst and as a Mission Designer. In 1988 he joined the faculty of the School of Aeronautics & Astronautics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana where he teaches courses in dynamics, aerospace optimization, and spacecraft design. He is coinventor of a "Method for Velocity Precision Pointing in Spin-Stabilized Spacecraft or Rockets" and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Professor Longuski has published over one hundred and fifty conference and journal papers in the general area of astrodynamics including such topics as spacecraft dynamics and control, reentry theory, mission design, space trajectory optimization, and a new test of General Relativity. In 2004, AIAA published Professor Longuski’s first book, Advice to Rocket Scientists: A Career Survival Guide for Scientists and Engineers.

Dream.- Imagine It.- Work on the Big Picture.- Aim High.- BS!.- Brainstorm.- Create Desire.- Tell a Story.- Sleep on It.- Think JFK.- Judge.- Get Real.- Play Games.- Simulate It.- Run a Thought Experiment.- Know Your Limits.- Weigh Ideas.- Ask.- Ask Dumb Questions.- Ask Big Questions.- Ask “What If?”.- Ask: “Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral?”.- Ask Just One More Question.- Check.- Prove Yourself Wrong.- Inspect for Defects.- Have a Backup Plan.- Do a Sanity Test.- Check Your Arithmetic.- Know the Risks.- Question Your Assumptions.- Simplify.- Keep It Simple, Stupid.- Draw a Picture.- Make a Mock-up.- Name the Beasts.- Look at the Little Picture.- Do the Math.- Apply Occam’s Razor.- Optimize.- Minimize the Cost.- Minimize the Time.- Be Mr. Spock.- Make It Faster, Better, Cheaper (But Not All Three!).- Know When Bigger Is Better.- Let Form Follow Function.- Pick the Best People.- Make Small Improvements.- Do.- Learn by Doing.- Sharpen Your Axe.- Correct It on the Way.- Do Something.- Don’t Ignore Trends.- Work on Your Average Performance.- Look Behind You.- Learn from Your Mistakes.- Epilogue.