The Astronaut Banker
About me: I’m a
Email: Feel free to contact me at astronomicalreturns@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AstronomicalReturns/
Instagram: @astronomical_returns
About Astronomical Returns
Astronomical Returns began as an email blast I’d send out to my fellow analysts each morning at work, back when I was an investment banker in New York. During the countless hours we spent together at the office, my coworkers always heard me talking about the latest news in space exploration or saw me watching YouTube videos of epic rocket launches or the optimal trajectory to Mars. Eventually, they suggested I just send out a daily space update covering whatever topics I thought were most interesting that day, so that they too could learn what I was learning about.Writing my daily space updates quickly became the highlight of my work day, so I figured why not share it with more than just my banking analyst cohort? My blog covers everything I know about current events, space exploration history, rocket propulsion, orbital mechanics, astronomy, and theoretical physics. And just in case you’re not a rocket scientist, don’t worry! I also have no formal scientific education, so everything is self-taught. If I can do it, then anyone can!
My fundamental belief is that humanity is destined for the stars, so I want to share my passion for space because it’s something we as a species need to care more about. My hope is that you enjoy reading my blog every bit as much as I enjoy writing it!
FAQs:
Nope, my undergrad degree is in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin, and I started my career as an analyst at an investment bank called Evercore in New York before I moved to SpaceX's finance team. I'm not an engineer, my background and experience lie solely in business
Then how do you have time to learn all this stuff while still working your day job?
When I was an investment banker, my average work week was around 70hrs (and my worst week was probably 100+)! But if you love something, you’ll always find the time. And as Einstein tells us, time is relative anyway; it can be distorted and dilated to fit my schedule as needed ;)
So what math and science classes have you taken?
The highest math class I took in high school was AP Calculus BC, and in college I took two classes in Linear Algebra and Differential Equations for my math minor. Regarding sciences, although I took two astronomy classes in college, the most relevant science classes I’ve had are AP Chemistry and Physics Honors, both from high school
How did you build this website?
Finance is my trade; space is my passion. Computer science...is neither of those things. Luckily, my sister was gracious enough to lend me the template of her food blog (check it out here: Obsessive Cooking Disorder), and I have two CS friends (Kevin and Dan) who I conscripted into service. You don't have to be the smartest person in the room, you just have to be friends with them :D
Why Space?
When I talk
about space, people often ask me, “Why should we invest money into space
exploration, when we have so many problems here on Earth?” It’s a valid question;
for example, sending a multimillion dollar space probe funded by taxpayer
dollars billions of miles away seems to not serve any direct purpose. Why
bother?
Perhaps. But
as a society, we collectively spend absurd amounts of money on things that “don’t
serve practical purpose.” Piano lessons. Rock concerts. Football games. One
could argue the whole sphere of athletics, fine arts, and humanities serves no
practical purpose, yet people dedicate their whole lives to those pursuits, and
governments give grants supporting them. Is it all a waste?
Of course
not. The desire to create is part of what makes us human, just as is the desire
to understand our place in the Universe. We’re a species of explorers, of
adventurers, of dreamers, and a society that doesn’t foster these endeavors will
inevitably stagnate.
If we still believed the Earth was the
center of the Universe, would that directly impact most of our lives? Probably
not… but what fun would that be?
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