Originally posted by JVT:
I know Brinn Riley (blk560?) works/worked for either a firm that's contracted by NASA or for NASA and believe he's an engineer. Might wanna shoot him a PM.



Aye. Close --

Mechanical, here. I work in the 'government business' sector of a half-commercial, half-government company which researches, develops, tests, and manufactures communications hardware, software, and integrated systems, everything from the bottom of the ocean to planetary probes (wow, guess with that line, my assimilation is complete!). Mechanical engineering here focuses mainly on the design of various antennae (folding space-deployable, ground-based stations, phased arrays), mechatronics/robotics, and military/aerospace avionics & electronics packaging (my specialty).

We're not exactly a feeding frenzy for aerospace engineers (as we are typically subcontracted either directly or indirectly to an integrator like Lockheed, Boeing, etc. who handles most of the flight controls, orbital mechanics, & such fancy stuff -- and who provides us with the environmental conditions our products must survive). But I do work with a few AE's -- their most common role here is as structural analysts for our designs. Some of them have decent exposure to advanced materials (composites, high E, controlled CTE alloys) which makes them a good fit for analyzing some of our products.

We don't design wings, pylons, or make stealthy diamond wedges fly, but a little aerospace background helps in, say, the development of an external phased-array antenna for an F-35 or something of the sort.

BTW, JV - you making the trip to the orange groves this week? I haven't touched bases with Neil or anybody else, but I'm trying to make it Saturday. Lemme know if you're heading this way and maybe we can touch bases there --

B. Riley Melbourne, FL '01 Camry LE V6/5-spd Was: '00 Black/Tan SVT Contour #560 - Sold 3/26/03 Before that: '95 Champ/Blue Contour GL V6 ATX