Technical Writing Portfolio

Christopher Birck
Technical Writing
April 23, 2015

April 23, 2015

Tom Setter
EchoStar Corporation
6723 W Steger Road
Monee, IL 60449
Dear Mr. Setter:
I am writing you in response to the job posting online for a Spacecraft Engineer. As an
experienced aerospace engineer, I hope to be considered for this position.
I have four years of experience as an engineer, working for major companies Boeing and
United Technologies and have contributed in the design and manufacture of military and
commercial aircraft. I received my bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering from the
University of Notre Dame and worked as an intern for Lockheed Martin. I communicate
well and am proficient in technical writing and am more than qualified for this position.
I am interested in this position at EchoStar Corporation because of the companys renown
reputation for engineering state of the art satellites and spacecraft, and believe that I have
much to contribute to the corporation.
Thank you for this opportunity to apply to EchoStar Corporation. If you have any
questions, you can reach me at (224) 315 9995 or chris.birck@aim.com.
Best regards,

Christopher Birck

Technical Definitions
Ablation
The removal of surface material from a body by vaporization, melting, chipping, or other
erosive process; specifically, the intentional removal of material from a nose cone or
spacecraft during high-speed movement through a planetary atmosphere to provide
thermal protection to the underlying structure.
Ballistics
The science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles; especially
bullets, aerial bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and hurling
projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.
Escape velocity
The radial speed which a particle or larger body must attain in order to escape from the
gravitational field of a planet or star.
G or g
An acceleration equal to the acceleration of gravity (on Earth), or 9.81 meters per secondsquared.
Thrust
The pushing or pulling force developed by an aircraft engine or a rocket engine.
Ballistics
Ballistics is the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles
especially bullets, aerial bombs, rockets, or the like. It is the science or art of designing

and hurling projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance. A projectile is any object

projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although any object in motion through
space (for example, a thrown baseball) is a projectile, the term most commonly refers to a
ranged weapon. Mathematical equations of motion are used to analyze projectile
trajectory. Examples of projectiles include balls, arrows, bullets, artillery, shells, and
rockets.
Ballistics is often broken down into the following four categories: internal, external,
transition, and terminal. Internal ballistics is the study of the processes originally
accelerating projectiles. Transition ballistics is the study of projectiles as they transition
to unpowered flight. External ballistics is the study of the passage of the projectile in
flight. Terminal ballistics is the study of the projectile and its effects as it ends flight.

Technical Description
What is a Rocket?
A rocket is a cylindrical projectile that can be propelled at great height or distances. A
rocket pushes itself through space by either pushing its contents out of from behind it or
combusting fuel and pushing the product gas out its back.
How Does a Rocket Engine Work?
Like most engines, rockets burn fuel. Most rocket engines turn the fuel into hot gas which
is pushed out the back of the rocket by the engine. The gas being propelled backwards
makes the rocket move forward.
A rocket is different from a jet engine. A jet engine needs air to work. A rocket engine
doesn't need air. It carries with it everything it needs. A rocket engine works in space,
where there is no air.
Rocket engines burn either liquid or solid fuel to propel itself forward.
Why Does a Rocket Work?
In space, an engine has nothing to push against. So how do rockets move there? Rockets
work by a scientific rule called Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every
action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The rocket pushes on its exhaust. The
exhaust pushes the rocket, too. The rocket pushes the exhaust backward. The exhaust
makes the rocket move forward.
This rule can be seen in other areas on Earth. For example, if one fires a gun, one would
feel the recoil force of the gun push back on your hand as the gun pushes the bullet
forward. Because the person holding the gun is much heavier than the bullet, the bullet
moves a lot faster forward than the person does backward.

Engineering at Lockheed Martin

Introduction
Lockheed Martin is an aerospace engineering company that is commissioned by the U.S.
Federal Government and other contractors for the assessment, creation, and maintenance
of a variety of aircraft and space-related projects. The engineers at Lockheed Martin are
responsible for a significant portion of the labor that goes into the completion of each
given project. The purpose of this report is to give an overall description of the work-life
of an aerospace engineer at Lockheed Martin and is directed towards an audience of 18
year-old college students.
From creating autonomous aircraft designed to neutralize enemy combatants without
risking any American lives, to successfully flying and landing spacecraft on large comets;
the field of Aerospace Engineering is one that is expanding at an almost exponential rate.
Heavy in subject matter such as fluid mechanics, differential equations, electricity and
magnetism, and other physical motion-based fields of science; aerospace engineering can
be a difficult and work-heavy field of education and work. But the results often yield
features that were once thought of as unattainable for human beings.
This report includes the methodology that went into collecting the necessary information,
a discussion of the information collected from the sources, and a conclusion that also
describes the qualities of a person who would thrive as a Lockheed Martin Aerospace
Engineer.

Methodology
In order to properly describe the work-life of an aerospace engineer at Lockheed Martin,
I have collected information through a face-to-face interview with a Lockheed Martin
engineer, reports from educational journals on the internet, and articles from scientific
magazines.
Empirical Sources
On January 30, 2015, I had the pleasure to meet with Phillip Tseng, an engineer who has
been with Lockheed Martin for 6 years. I met him in his office in Salt Lake City, where I
asked him questions regarding his work and the company in general. Upon entering the
office building, it became immediately evident to me the state-of-the-art technology and
the modern layout and design of the office space. Once situated, I proceeded to interview
Mr. Tseng. I had a list of questions prepared going into the interview, and asked
additional questions about the facilities, as well as secondary questions related to the
answers he provided. This information was useful in looking into the daily life of an
engineer.
Electronic Sources
Using online databases, I was able to find articles and reports pertaining to Lockheed
Martin, the companys engineers, and projects that it has been involved in. From these
articles I was able to obtain information relating to specific projects worked on by
Lockheed Martin, the role of its engineers, reasons that lead to the commission of the
projects, and what sort of technology to expect in the future. This information was useful

in examining the field of Aerospace Engineering from a further up perspective, allowing

one to see a broader view of the work of engineers.
Print Sources
Gathering articles from scientific magazines Aviation Week, and Aerospace Engineering,
I was able to gain further information regarding Lockheed Martin involvement in major
space and military technology. The articles and reports I found in these magazines also
provided me with some insight into the diversity of work that exists within a single team
of engineers. Such assortment of work ranges from computer programming and circuit
building to field-testing and military collaboration.

Discussion of Results
From the information I have collected from these sources; I have described the role of
engineers in the grand scheme of the field and the engineers perspective of work-life at
Lockheed Martin.
Being an Aerospace Engineer
From the initial steps of planning out a sales pitch to gain the government contract to the
final demonstration of the completed projects, there is an immense amount of work that
goes into state-of-the-art technology that is divided among different teams within a
department or company.
It begins with a team of company representatives that meet with government (or
otherwise) officials, with a prepared presentation in order to gain the governments
commission to engineer needed technology to solve a given problem. The company is

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made aware of such needed technology by means of inter-organizational advertisements,

scouting, or direct communication with contractors via e-mail.
Once the contract is obtained, a team of accountants and analysts work with the engineers
to come up with a budget based on materials and technology needed and necessary labor;
as well as draft a timeline of deadlines.

The team of engineers then goes to work on the planning and designing of the
technology. This often includes much pencil-and-paper mathematical calculations and
modeling, to scale two-dimensional or three-dimensional model building, computer
software and hardware programming, research pertaining to the field-environment, and
laboratory-style trial testing. Because such technology is often built with the aide of
partner engineering companies, there is also a significant amount of information sharing
by means of online data clouds.
The team of engineers often play a significant role in the construction itself as well as its
oversight, especially in cases where a pilot or remote-operator is required to utilize the
technology. Otherwise this part of the process is mainly performed by a team of skilled
construction laborers under the leadership of a single director.
In cases where a demonstration of the technology is warranted, engineers work with and
train the operators and pilots in using the technology. Final demonstrations are typically
performed in a formal presentation in front of a board of government officials.

Working For Lockheed Martin

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Engineers who specifically work for the prestigious Aerospace Engineering company of
Lockheed Martin follow this model. The engineering teams, although among teams of
other specialties as well, is the centerpiece and main focus of the company. The facilities
at Lockheed Martin that are used in the creation of technology are state-of-the-art and
advanced. Such facilities include Vacuum Rooms, where there is zero air-pressure;
Pressure Chambers, where one can increase the air-pressure to extremely high levels;
Float Rooms, where a large-scale fan on the base of the room levitates objects placed
above it; and Fluid Chambers, where one can observe the fluid mechanics and
movement of an aircraft prototype.
Because there are multiple teams that collaborate in the creating of technology, there is a
significant amount of intra-company communication that takes the form of memos, emails, letters, analytical reports, progress reports, proposals, technical descriptions,
activity reports, and other documents. Communication also takes place in the form of
phone calls and team meetings.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I have described the vital role an engineer plays at Lockheed Martin in the
creation of state-of-the-art technology. Although the team of engineers is one among
several that collaborate in the completion of a government contracted project, it is
undoubtedly the most important. The engineer performs many different types of tasks,
including field-testing, modeling, mathematical calculations, and intra-company
communication via technical writing.

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The ideal candidate to work as an aerospace engineer at Lockheed Martin is creative,

intelligent, mathematically-oriented, logical, and observant. Someone who would do well
as an engineer is always vigilant for possible reasons for error, inefficiencies, and gives
high attention to detail. Because there are so many factors that go into making an aircraft
move through the air as efficiently as possible; the aerospace engineer is always proofreading his or her work and the work of others, considering other possible options, and
asking questions. As a student of aerospace engineering, one should always experiment
different ways to get the job done and never settle for second best.

References
Falk, E.C. (2012). Advanced aviation technology. Aerospace Engineering. 45-47.
Glazer, L. (2013). Around the Circuit. Microwave Journal, 56(5), 82-90.
Howard, C. E. (2014). Combat aircraft with advanced avionics. Military & Aerospace
Electronics, 25(2), 8-15.
Jefferson, K. (2012). Model-g hydro aeroplane. Aviation Week. 20-22.
Keller, J. (2011). Upgrades to Lockheed Martin Remote Minehunting System unmanned
vehicle to compensate for gaps in capability. Military & Aerospace Electronics,
22(2), 10-11.
Lockheed Martin engineers get an education. (2001). IIE Solutions, 33(3), 15.
UPFRONT. (2013). New Scientist, 220(2942), 4-5.

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