Insider Info

In the fall of 2012, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner leapt from a balloon nearly 40 km above the Earth's surface. His life was protected by a pressure suit that Shane Jacobs helped design. Jacobs is an aerospace engineer with the David Clark Company, which also designs suits for the U.S. Air Force.

"Definitely, the suit was protecting Felix's life," says Jacobs. "If he didn't have the suit or if there was something wrong with the suit then... it would have been fatal, because at that altitude you need your own pressurized capsule and you need the oxygen to breathe."

For Jacobs it was an exciting highlight to his career, a career rooted in his childhood interest in space and science.

"I was definitely always interested in how the world worked and physics and the sciences and that sort of thing," says Jacobs. "I guess I was always fascinated by space and the space shuttle... but I wasn't necessarily going into that area when I got into engineering. I just knew that I liked physics, and I liked how things worked. And I liked mechanical-type things, so I went into mechanical engineering."

Jacobs earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He then earned a master's and PhD in aerospace engineering.

Jacobs says his bachelor's degree program opened his eyes to all the different fields that mechanical engineering touches. He realized he could build a career related to his interests in sports and the human body.

"I was thinking about the human body and how it's a marvel of engineering and mechanical engineering... and so I really started getting into biomechanics and how you can design equipment like running shoes or skis," says Jacobs.

Some of Jacobs' mechanical engineering professors at his university were focused on aerospace research.

"They started getting me really interested in aerospace and that sort of thing," says Jacobs. "I said, 'Hey, there's all these biomechanical challenges and equipment challenges for designing spacesuits.' And so that's how I was kind of merging all these interests together -- between engineering and sports and equipment design and space."

What are some important qualities for aerospace engineers like Jacobs?

"Just kind of a desire to understand how things work, to kind of see behind the outside layers and delve into the details and really get in there and not just be content with, 'Oh well, it's like this and that's just how it is,'" says Jacobs. "You really want to get in there and understand it for yourself."

Aerospace engineer Kostyantyn Khomutov has a similar view: "I think probably number one would be a problem solving ability..." he says. "And for that you probably need creativity, and you should be good in inventing.... I think it applies not only to aerospace but for any engineering position where you need to understand and be inspired by the problems and be able to solve them in a creative and innovative way."

Khomutov says he always knew he was going to be an engineer. Both of his parents were mechanical engineers. Also, two of his grandparents were airplane mechanics.

"I think I received some sort of gene from them, and that's what really made my decision to be an aerospace engineer," says Khomutov. "From an early age, like many other kids, I was always [interested] in airplanes and pilots and space."

Khomutov has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in aerospace engineering. He used his master's degree research to start a company developing helicopter technology. While running the company Khomutov also works part time on his PhD in aerospace engineering.

"What we're working on is an innovative technology that is capable of reducing noise and vibration on helicopters," says Khomutov.

Vibration and noise are big problems with helicopters. "First of all, it affects the health of pilots significantly," says Khomutov. "It affects maintenance of helicopters, simply because, due to vibration, there are unscheduled breaks of a helicopter that may happen. Helicopters have a limited service life, where one of the most contributing factors is vibration. They can only fly so many hours....

"And also we'll be able to provide comfort to the passengers that are taking helicopters, because lots of passengers refuse to fly on a helicopter simply because it's too loud or too shaky or it's uncomfortable to be on."

It's important for aerospace engineers to be able to communicate well. For Khomutov, as the CEO of an aerospace company, these skills are even more vital.

"What I need to do in my career is to... explain to people something innovative that we have created, that nobody else in the world has, that will make, hopefully, the helicopter industry safer, faster, more reliable and more comfortable," says Khomutov. "So I do believe that communication skills are extremely important... to be able to raise capital, to be able to secure partnerships and collaborations, and network, and so on."

Wendy Toelle agrees about the importance of communication skills. She's a recruiter for UTC Aerospace Systems through Kenexa in Lincoln, Nebraska.

"Aside from the formal/technical skills, an aerospace engineer would definitely need to have strong communication and presentation skills, typically," says Toelle. "They need to be able to express any problems or issues with their peers, supervisors and leadership.

"For all of the higher-level engineering roles, they need to show regular use of ingenuity and creativity when solving complex problems," Toelle adds. "They also need to have the ability to work closely in a team setting. For the most part, they will always be working in cross functional groups and with team members at different locations. Engineers also need to be very self-motivated and able to prioritize tasks appropriately."

Those are the types of skills that Jacobs used when helping design the pressurized suit Felix Baumgartner wore for his historic leap. Now, Jacobs is setting his sights even higher.

"My career goal is to work on the next suit that humans wear [in space], whether it's on the surface of the Moon or Mars or a Martian moon or an asteroid or something like that," says Jacobs. "I'd love to see an astronaut step on the surface of the Moon wearing a suit that I helped design."