Chemists working in the aerospace industry have the ability to be involved in many different types of projects. From a traditional perspective, these chemists have been involved in the creation of new chemistry and materials that have allowed the US to make space travel and exploration what it is today. However, chemists in the aerospace industry also have the unique ability to use their skills and expertise to dissect aerospace mishaps and assist in determining the root causes of failure. In the past, NASA chemists have been a crucial part of the mishap investigation teams that have uncovered the causes of failures such as Challenger and Columbia. They have combined their expertise in chemistry, material structure and properties, and failure mechanics to offer solutions to avoid such disasters in the future. Additionally, they assist daily in the investigation of smaller failures that may have happened at the workplace during normal operation or testing new structures, for example. This presentation will give an overview to this exciting way chemists can be involved with the aerospace industry in a non-traditional, non-research focused way. Drawing from some past examples, some of the unique analytical methods used by KSC failure investigation chemists will be showcased.

Alternative careers in chemistry: Failure investigations in the aerospace industry

251st National Meeting (2016)

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