Aerospace engineering

Aerospace engineering
For finance rocket scientists,
see Rocket science in
finance.
Aerospace Engineer
NASA engineers, seen here
control during Apollo 13, worked
diligently to protect the liv
astronauts on the mis
Occupation
Names engi
aerospace
Activity sectors aeron
astronauti
Description
Competencies technical k
managem
Education
required see prof
require
Aerospace engineering is the
primary branch of
engineering concerned with
the design, construction, and
science of aircraft and
spacecraft.[1] It is divided
into two major and
overlapping branches:
aeronautical engineering
and astronautical
engineering. The former
deals with aircraft that
operate in Earth's
atmosphere, and the latter
with spacecraft that operate
outside it.
Aerospace Engineering deals
with the design,
construction, and study of
the science behind the
forces and physical
properties of aircraft,
rockets, flying craft, and
spacecraft. The field also
covers their aerodynamic
characteristics and
behaviors, airfoil, control
surfaces, lift, drag, and other
properties. Aerospace
engineering is not to be
confused with the various
other fields of engineering
that go into designing
elements of these complex
craft. For example, the
design of aircraft avionics,
while certainly part of the
system as a whole, would
rather be considered
electrical engineering, or
perhaps computer
engineering. Or an aircraft's
landing gear system may be
considered primarily the field
of mechanical engineering.
There is typically a
combination of many
disciplines that make up
aerospace engineering.
Where as aeronautical
engineering was the original
term, the broader
" aerospace" has superseded
it in usage, as flight
technology advanced to
include craft operating in
outer space.[2] Aerospace
engineering, particularly the
astronautics branch, is often
referred to colloquially as
"rocket science",[3] although
this is a popular misnomer.
Overview
Flight vehicles are subjected
to demanding conditions
such as those produced by
extreme changes in
atmospheric pressure and
temperature, with structural
loads applied upon vehicle
components. Consequently,
they are usually the
products of various
technological and
engineering disciplines
including aerodynamics,
propulsion, avionics,
materials science, structural
analysis and manufacturing.
The interaction between
these technologies is known
as aerospace engineering.
Because of the number of
disciplines involved,
aerospace engineering is
carried out by teams of
engineers, each having their
own specialised area of
expertise.[4]
The development and
manufacturing of a modern
flight vehicle is an extremely
complex process and
demands careful balance
and compromise between
abilities, design, available
technology and costs.
Aerospace engineers design,
test, and supervise the
manufacture of aircraft,
spacecraft, and missiles.
Aerospace engineers
develop new technologies
for use in aviation, defense
systems, and space.
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History
See also: Aviation history
Orville and Wilbur Wright
flew the Wright Flyer in
1903 at Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina.