Mechanical engineer or rocket scientist? It’s the same thing!
Greg Buker is from Miami, Florida, and he says the most outstanding feature of Miami is that it is a melting pot of cultures. If you want to learn about or experience a different culture, it is very easy to find. “Also,” he adds, “the beaches in Miami are pretty amazing.”
Greg earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Florida State University, and a master’s degree, also in mechanical engineering, from the University of Utah. He said the Florida State University was like its own city. There were so many fun events for students that there was never a dull moment. “With so many people,” he said, “it was extremely easy to find others with similar interests and spend time enjoying activities I was passionate about.”
Now living in Pleasant View, Utah, and employed by Northrop Grumman in Promontory, Greg works on the Common Boost Segment (CBS) rocket motors that will be used on the company’s new OmegA rocket. As the process engineer over filament case winding, Greg handles the rocket motor case from when it begins as completely raw materials until it is pushed off of the wind mandrel and passed on as a 12-ft diameter, 30-plus foot long cured case to the machining engineer.
#1 - A CBS segment during the pushoff process.
Greg says he is most proud of the responsibility and challenge that comes with working on a new program, such as OmegA. “The OmegA filament wound cases are some of the biggest the company has ever wound, and being there from the beginning, to develop a process and work through the many bugs associated with that process has been an amazing journey,” he said. “It does not get much better than watching something you devoted so much time and effort into pass its testing and – down the road – fly into space.”
#2 - Greg hanging out in front of a CBS rocket motor that is being developed for Northrop Grumman’s OmegA rocket!
Growing up, Greg was always a fan of things that went fast, including cars, motorcycles, jets, rockets, etc. “When finishing up my engineering degree, I applied to jobs across those various industries and I landed in the very satisfying world of rockets,” Greg said. “Now that I am in the industry, the advanced technologies that go into every rocket are very exciting to work with.”
Greg is an avid rider of all things two-wheeled (motocross bikes, street motorcycles, road bicycles, and mountain bicycles), and raced mountain and road bikes all throughout college. “When I moved out to Utah,” he said, “I picked up snowboarding and skiing – at the resort and in the backcountry – and just recently I have started rock climbing.”
Greg works in an exciting industry, but it hasn’t always been easy. For someone who may be interested in working in a similar job and wonders what they should focus on, Greg says, “For me, the key is not so much what you focus on, but that you stay focused and diligent in all aspects of what you are working on. When things get tough (which they inevitably will, especially in engineering) keep the end goal in mind and use that to stay motivated and keep slogging through the work.” Greg shared that his dad always told him, “the hard work you put in now will pay much larger dividends later.” Greg says that so far he has proven to be correct and “I couldn’t be happier with that advice.”
#3 - Enjoying a beautiful fall ride through the twisties near Monte Cristo, UT.
#4 - Having fun on a demo bike in Moab, UT.
#5 -The Moab desert looks a little bit different from the top of the 12,480 ft peak of Mt. Tukuhnikivatz.
#6 - Enjoying the spoils of the long hike to the top of Mt. Tuk.
#7 - A gorgeous sunset appreciated on top of the Wicked Witch tower in Echo, UT.
