If you have your sights set on the stars and have ever dreamed of building a rocket to take humans to Mars, now is the time to strike as SpaceX have just posted their very first job listing for an engineer to help design the company’s Big Falcon Rocket, also known as the BFR.
Elon Musk has proposed that the BFR will one day take over the duties of Falcon 9, while seamlessly carrying passengers great distances quickly, with a journey from New York to Los Angeles lasting a mere 25 minutes, as Fortune reported.
The new post for a BFR Build Engineer at SpaceX was listed on the company’s website on June 11, and while requirements are similar to those for engineers of Dragon and Falcon 9, a heavy emphasis is placed on welding experience.
“The goal of this team is to investigate, test, and develop new hardware, software, and automation efforts capable of supporting advanced metallic and composite joining methods for the BFR. Focusing on friction stir welding, EB [electron-beam] welding, and composite tank lamination, the BFR Build Engineer is responsible for delivering results on critical projects with a highly demanding and fast-paced schedule.”
To warm prospective engineers to the mission of SpaceX, the company describes their vision of taking humans to Mars and beyond, stating boldly that life is simply more fun when there is adventure to be had, and in this case the adventure has the potential to change humanity for the better.
“SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.”
Want to build a rocket? #Space #Mars https://t.co/oeJQ7mPuS8
— Earthoteric (@Earthoteric) June 15, 2018
Further details about the work that will be required as a SpaceX Big Falcon Rocket engineer are as follows:
- Drive the technology development for manufacturing cryogenic composite tanks through research, mechanical/destructive testing and sub-scale manufacturing
- Work closely with vehicle analysts and manufacturing team to ensure solutions meet the requirements for vehicle design as well as the manufacturing processes
- Partner with engineering & production teams to generate ideas, designs, and improvements for current and next-generation vehicles
- Strong background in composite structures with knowledge of automated fiber placement, autoclaves and composite design criteria
Elon Musk recently posted a fun image on Twitter of what it might be like for those traveling onboard a BFR as they hurtle toward Mars, with a playful nod to Stanley Kubrick in the process.
Running track in @SpaceX BF Spaceship will look something like this pic.twitter.com/563upTfV58
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 8, 2018
It was recently reported by Teslerati that SpaceX plans to use their own unique and special technology so that the BFR can undergo a refueling process away from Earth, explaining that the hardware they use will be “critical for propellant production at Mars Base Alpha.”
This technology goes by the name of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and last year Elon Musk noted that the “design is pretty far along…it’s a key part of the whole system.”
So for those who have strong engineering and welding skills, if you are keen on changing the world as we know it by building a rocket that could see travel on Earth revolutionized, while also helping to put settlers in colonies on Mars, SpaceX have a dream job for you as a BFR engineer.
