It’s not rocket science!

Sometimes people use the term “rocket science” to say what something is not.

For example, say you are building a birdhouse. You cut into the wood with a saw slowly and carefully. You are all tensed up, afraid you will make a mistake. The adult who is helping you says, “Come on, Sweetie, this isn’t rocket science.” What the adult means is that the task is not difficult, nor does it have to be perfect to be good. So relax!

We can probably think of many tasks that are “not rocket science.” But what IS rocket science? Have you ever met a rocket scientist? Seen one on TV? No? Well, there’s a good reason.

There is no such thing as a rocket scientist!

People who work on rockets are engineers, not scientists. Engineers design the rockets, build the rockets (or watch technicians do it), test the rockets, and launch the rockets. It is the same with spacecraft. Engineers also design and build the scientific instruments that go on the spacecraft.

Engineers and scientists work together. Scientists experiment and figure out exactly what they want the design to accomplish. Then engineers come up with a design to meet the scientists’ needs.

Engineers have to know a lot about science too. For example, to design an electronic camera for a spacecraft, an engineer has to know how light and electrons behave and the properties of the materials for the camera. The engineer must understand the space environment and the exact scientific tasks the camera will do.

Science is exciting. And so is engineering. Scientists need engineers, and engineers need scientists.

NASA blends science and technology to stretch beyond our current knowledge. The whole purpose of NASA’s New Millennium Program, for example, is to help develop and test new technologies for space exploration. This way, the engineering will be done and the technologies ready for the scientists to explore anew

Meet some NASA engineers on The Space Place cartoon talk show at spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/live.

This article was written by Diane K. Fisher and provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.