Introduction Heading 2 Text Space Technology Opportunities for physicists Supported by Careers © Institute ofIntroduction Physics, January 2012 Picture credits Cover: NASA/JPL p2: iStock p10: ESA/P. Carril p12: NASA p14: ESA/S. HeadingCorvaja 2 p16: ESA Text p18: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Photo Optique vidéo du CSG/P. Baudon p20: iStock Case study profile images were supplied courtesy of the individuals Institute of Physics 76 Portland Place London W1B 1NT Tel +44 (0)20 7470 4800 Fax +44 (0)20 7470 4848 E-mail [email protected] www.iop.org/careers www.iopblog.org Registered charity number: 293851 Charity registered in Scotland: SC040092 1 | www.iop.org/careers Contents Introduction Space technology 3 Who this booklet is for 4 What this booklet includes 4 An overview of the industry Opportunities in space research 5 Opportunities in space-based applications 5 Opportunities in enabling technology propulsion 7 Careers information 9 Case studies 10 10 tips on getting into the space sector…and making the most of it 21 once you’re there A brief history of space flight and satellites 22 Company details 24 Acknowledgements 26 | www.iop.org/careers 1 Introduction Space technology The space sector is a vigorous and growing component of the UK economy, comprising more than 200 companies that directly employ around 25 000 staff, indirectly employ 60 000 more and generate a turnover of £7 bn a year. Long lead-in times for major projects have helped The space sector is one of the most highly skilled to make the sector resilient to recession. In fact, it’s parts of Britain’s industry and economy. It is also expected that the sector’s turnover will double in size seen as a key industry in Europe. Talented and over the next nine years, growing to £14 bn by 2020, highly trained scientists and engineers underpin and giving a major boost to the British economy. the success of the sector, and physicists who have recently left full-time education or are further along There is a good reason behind that expansion. From in their careers have a major contribution to make. home insulation, disaster response, and satellite navigation, to high-spec medical equipment, space I am therefore delighted to introduce this guide to technology has made a vast array of vital modern space technology, and I urge any physics graduate technologies possible. Increasingly, satellite-based looking for a challenging career to seriously consider research also plays a crucial role in widening our the opportunities that space affords. understanding of the Earth’s climate and the way that human activity impacts on climate change. Prof. Sir Peter Knight KB FRS CPhys FInstP | www.iop.org/careers 3 Introduction Who this booklet is for What this booklet includes This booklet is aimed at physicists with an interest This booklet includes a brief overview of the key in entering the important and expanding space sectors of the industry, looking at: sector. It will be of primary interest to graduates • Space science and research, including starting out on their careers but we also hope that exploration of the planets, their moons and the it will be of use to physicists at later stages in their asteroid belt. working lives. • Space-based applications, including satellite navigation, telecommunications, meteorology While space research and technology help us to and Earth observation. understand more about the universe and aid the • Space engineering, including manned and development of physics, physics itself is essential unmanned space flight. to the development of the technology. The demand for extremely high performance, endurance, and There are also case studies of the working lives reliability in space technology adds to the physics of five physicists employed in various areas challenge. of the space sector, and information on skills, qualifications, salaries, and graduate schemes. We’ve included advice on getting into the sector and getting on once you’re in it. And there’s a short history of how space exploration and technologies have developed since the 1950s. Finally, there are contact details of major companies and agencies working in the sector. We hope that you find this booklet informative, interesting and accurate. If you have any comments please contact Vishanti Fox, careers manager at the Institute of Physics, on 020 7470 4800 or e-mail [email protected]. 4 | www.iop.org/careers An overview of the industry Opportunities in space research Mission planners Space science and research aims to broaden our These scientists analyse how best to optimise the knowledge of the universe. Space scientists study resources (fuel, orbit, etc) of spacecraft to meet the origin, evolution and future of the cosmos, the all of the needs of the academics and researchers nature of the Sun, the formation of the solar system, who depend on payload for their data. They the beginnings of life on Earth, and the possibility of are responsible for targeting the spacecraft and extra-terrestrial life. determining their flight path. In addition to ground-based observational Opportunities in space-based instruments, space scientists use unmanned automated spacecraft such as the Hubble space applications Much of the technology that we take for granted telescope, as well as landers and rovers, to relay today, from weather forecasting to mobile phones, information from space, or from other planets or depends ultimately on space technology. Physics moons, back to Earth. The spacecraft need to be plays a central role in managing and further designed with enormous care – once out in space, developing these technologies. Here we look at some the possibilities for repair or redesign are very limited. of the space-based applications that, as a physicist, you could get involved in. Space research is a mix of disciplines and includes the following. Earth observation and environmental Pure research monitoring Astronomers and astrophysicists are engaged in Earth-observation satellites observe the Earth from pure research in a number of universities around the orbit to monitor the environment and the atmosphere, world, including Leicester, Southampton, Cranfield, and assist with cartography. Their distance from MIT, Caltech and Technical University of Delft. The the Earth generally ranges from about 600 to academics at these institutions and elsewhere use 36 000 km, depending on their application. Military extremely high-spec instruments to study celestial reconnaissance satellites work on the same principle. bodies and widen our knowledge of the physics of the universe. Earth-observation satellites generally use two sorts of orbits: low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary orbit Principle investigators (GEO). LEO satellites orbit at an altitude between 160 and 2000 km. Sun-synchronous LEO satellites pass These are the senior scientists who oversee the over every latitude point on Earth at the same local whole of a research project and have the best time. This ensures that the data they collect is always understanding of what the instruments being used are at about the same local sun angle, making it easier to ultimately capable of. correlate images taken on different orbits. Mission specialists In contrast, geostationary satellites at an altitude of Mission specialists assist academic astronomers about 35 800 km and with zero inclination, remain in and astrophysicists in the best use of instruments, the same position in space relative to an observer on and in the preparation of proposals for the use of the ground. They can therefore monitor a particular instruments. portion of the Earth’s surface continuously. Payload specialists As the name suggests, meteorological or weather Payload specialists define new instruments to gather satellites primarily monitor the weather and data for use by the academics and researchers. climate. Meteorologists can use the pictures and | www.iop.org/careers 5 Opportunities in space-based applications data from GEO weather satellites together with The UK Space Agency those from a number of LEO Earth-observation satellites to develop their predictions of future The UK Space Agency was formed in April 2010 weather conditions. As well as cloud formations, to take responsibility for the British government’s however, weather satellites can also collect an policy and budgets for space. enormous amount of environmental information, and are crucial in tracking the effects of pollution, As part of the Department for Business, Innovation sand and dust storms, forest fires, changes in the and Skills, the agency describes itself as “leading polar ice caps, and the shores of oceans. the UK’s civil space programme in order to win sustainable economic growth, secure new scientific Physics is important to the study of reflectivity of knowledge and provide benefits to all citizens.” optical and radar signals and their propagation through the atmosphere. Physicists are often Its remit is to: involved in the design and manufacture of • Give a focus for civil space policy and radar, microwave, UV, gravitational, and optical programmes across the government. instruments aboard satellites used for Earth • Manage a number of space projects and observation and meteorology. They may also take programmes. part in the development of the complex computer • Work with government departments, research simulation models that make use of satellite and councils, industry and academia to ensure the terrestrial data to predict future weather patterns. effective and growing exploitation of space. • Manage the UK’s relationship with other space Satellite navigation (global navigation agencies and trans-national organisations such satellite systems) as ESA. Satellite navigation systems give autonomous geospatial positioning with global coverage. They The agency has an annual budget of £220 m. work by enabling small electronic receivers to For more details go to www.bis.gov.uk/ determine their longitude, latitude and altitude ukspaceagency. using radio-transmitted time signals from satellites. Global coverage is achieved by 20 to 30 satellites spread between several orbital planes.