How SOLIDWORKS Invigorates Space Innovation for the Generation of Tomorrow

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Editor’s Note: At SOLIDWORKS, we’ve sponsored Nate and family’s three-part series where Nate, with the help of his 9-year-old son (Alex) and 5-year-old daughter (Ali), try out three different approaches for modeling a spacecraft. Nate tackles the challenge using SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD, Alex accepts his mission using SOLIDWORKS xDesign, and Ali shape-shifts her spacecraft in SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids! Subscribe to his YouTube channel here.

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My son once asked me “what does an engineer do?” He was four and I had been working as a mechanical engineer for around ten years at that point. All I could come up with for an answer is “engineers make everything you see in the world.” Pretty profound answer to try to explain to a four-year-old. His response was right to the point: “you’re not God.”

Too true a statement, but in the end, pretty much every man-made object that you see in the world had some sort of engineer behind it!

Now, my son is nine and I have a five-year-old daughter. Besides trying to teach them both about gravity before they were two, I’ve been trying to teach them a foundation in math and science over the years. With this, we decided as a family that we would also like to share some of those moments with the world and other families that may not have a solid understanding of math and science.

So, we are starting up a new YouTube channel where we will be discovering math, science, technology and life together with our audience. The channel is @CDEngineering, which is also my side hustle!

In our first video, we tackle my daughter Ali’s design where a bright pink spacecraft with a unicorn horn lands on the moon, while utilizing SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids for the design. Hint, there is a whole lot more than just a 3D-printed pink spaceship here!

In our second video, my son Alex designs a spacecraft that will go to Mars using a 3DEXPERIENCE platform design app: SOLIDWORKS xDesign.

In our third and final video in this series, a super top-secret design will be completed by me using SOLIDWORKS, where I will put my Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert credentials on the line!

Be sure to subscribe to Nate’s new channel to follow along with the whole family’s design concepts, using SOLIDWOKRS 3D CAD, xDesign, and Apps for Kids, as part of this three-part series!

Nate Andrews

Nate Andrews is a mechanical engineer with over 15 years of experience in design, teaching and engineering management. He is a SOLIDWORKS reseller alumni, obtaining certifications as an Elite Applications Engineer, Certified DriveWorks Professional and has 20 years of SOLIDWORKS experience. When he’s not creating crazy things in CAD and on the 3D printer, he is volunteering to coach his children’s soccer teams and scouting activities all while telling a good Dad Joke.

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