People, it is the secret sauce behind United Launch Alliance (ULA). It takes a team of skilled people working together to create a culture of discipline and rigor to place critical national assets into space with bullseye accuracy every time.

With launch sites in Florida and California and the design center in Colorado, ULA is entrusted with important missions to deliver into space using a stable of rockets. But it's the team working tirelessly that make those rockets perform with exacting precision, no matter if the payload is designed for national security, scientific or commercial purposes.

During Engineers Week, we take the opportunity to salute all our teammates across the country who give so much of their time, sweat and energy to making every launch a success.

"Passion will only get you so far, discipline will get you over the finish line," said Jesse D., a ULA structural engineer.

"Take a moment to reflect on everything you have accomplished from time to time. Appreciate how far you have come and where you are going," added Chase L., a ULA senior systems engineer.

Tyler D., an early career engineer at Cape Canaveral working on the Centaur program, already has sage advice: "Engineers get paid to be right. You might be able to pass in school by getting a 90% or even as low as 70% right. When you're sitting on console or out in the field doing a job, it's not acceptable to be 70% sure of what you're doing, you need to be 100% prepared. So do what you need to be prepared and get the help you need to be successful."

At ULA, like elsewhere, our team is comprised of all different ages and experience levels. Steve H., a 38-year aerospace veteran and ULA launch director, says: "Learn all you can. If you see something that needs to be done or improved - bring it forward. Volunteer to do it. Don't assume others know about it or wait for it to be assigned. Be proactive. Engineers solve problems."

"Talk to and start learning from older engineers," Tyler D. recommends. "Engineering school does not teach the profession of being an engineer but just teaches you the background knowledge and flirts with teaching the design process. So many engineers in the real-world work in parts of the design process that school just doesn't teach."

If you are an aspiring engineer, still in school and dreaming about starting a career in the launch business, an internship could be the spark that ignites an exciting future. ULA's summer intern program offers paid engineering positions designed to provide students with real-world work experience.

"My physics teacher in high school told us when we were preparing for exams, 'Don't do it until you get it right; do it until you never get it wrong.' This changed my mindset on not only schoolwork, but even the work I do now," said Noor A., a ULA trajectory engineer.

"Always ask the question. There are only two possible outcomes -- you'll learn something you didn't know before, or you're bringing up something no one has thought of and needs to be addressed," said Marc B., a ULA electrical engineer.

Balancing life outside of work is also a critical point our engineers stress.

“Life is a marathon not a sprint. Take the time to have some fun, go on a vacation and try new things,” said Max F., a ULA structural dynamics engineer.