The 2022-23 season was a monumental time for Daniel Tioumentsev. With partner Sonia Baram, he competed in first Junior Grand Prix circuit, qualified for and earned silver at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, medaled at his senior debut at the 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships and won the World Junior title in pairs. But behind the scenes, Tioumentsev also accomplished another lifelong dream when he landed a job at SpaceX.
Daniel Tioumentsev began working for SpaceX as a propulsion technician in October 2022.
"It's awesome to work at SpaceX," Tioumentsev said. "Getting this job was very unexpected. I was at a competition when I applied. When I got back home, I got a phone call from Hawthorne, California. It didn't say SpaceX on the caller ID, but I had a feeling it could be them. I couldn't believe it when I realized I got the job."
The 21-year-old started as a full-time propulsion technician in October 2022, working the late shift. His role has a singular objective – building rocket engines. Though, he can't really go into the details.
"I've always been interested in building things," he said. "I used to work on cars with my friend and would do basic maintenance things. Building a rocket is completely different from working on a car, but having the basic knowledge of mechanical skills has definitely helped. I think being creative and being a problem solver is also very important to my job. I can't really go too far into the specifics."
On top of skating and a full-time job at SpaceX, Tioumentsev is studying mechanical engineering at Irvine Valley College. He dreams of one day transitioning from technician to engineering intern and eventually becoming a full engineer at the company.
"I think my current job will help a lot down the road," Tioumentsev said. "I will know what the technicians go through and that will make it easier for me to build processes when I'm an engineer. It's really cool how closely the engineers and technicians work together and it makes production go smoothly. The ultimate goal is to become an engineer at SpaceX. I would love to be the guy that sits in the chair and makes the call of going for the launch. There are a lot of roles at SpaceX, and I think having the passion to work there goes a long way."
Tioumentsev's passion for rockets and space exploration dates back to watching the livestream of the 2011 space shuttle launch in his third grade classroom. From that point on, he was enthralled with all things NASA and rockets, and eventually, SpaceX.
"When SpaceX was going to attempt to land their first rocket from space, I really got back into everything," he said. "It really sparked my motivation to one day work for them. I think they are going to have a huge impact on space travel. Right now, we are living in the second space race for private companies. They all want to be the first to travel to the moon and Mars. I want to be a part of making history and exploring the solar system."
One of Daniel Tioumentiev's hobbies is rocket photography.
Growing up, Tioumentsev had inspiration for both of his passions in his parents. His mother, Anna Tarasova, is a figure skating coach, while his father, Andrei Tioumentsev, is an electrical engineer for Colorado Springs Utilities.
"I used to do a lot of small home projects with my dad. That is what inspired me to become an engineer. It pushed me to start doing my own projects," Tioumentsev said. "When I graduated high school, I wanted to make a potato gun. I got really crafty with it. It took me so many tries to get that thing to work. Later, I bought a 3D printer and started creating things with that too. I tried to make my own rocket engine, but that project is still pending. I guess I'm already building rockets, just bigger ones."
Third grade Daniel would definitely be thrilled to learn that not only does he build rockets in the future, but he is also a World Junior champion figure skater and amateur rocket photographer in his spare time.
"I'm very happy and I'm proud of what I do and enjoy learning every day," he said. "I am making engines that will send important vehicles and humans into space. I've worked on one engine that did successfully send humans into space. It's still unbelievable to me that this is my job."
Check out Daniel Tioumentsev's rocket photography on his Instagram -
@AstroVibes2021.
