December 2006, Issue #53
Aerospace Engineering
Even the sky is not a limit in aerospace engineering. Today's aerospace engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacturer of aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles. They are working to make space colonization a reality and reduce the time needed to travel around the world.
Rocket Science and More!
But it isn't all rocket science either. This diverse field of engineering has expanded to include the design and development of new earthbound vehicles—race cars, hydrofoil ships, deep-diving vessels for oceanographic research, and high-speed rail systems.
Aerospace engineers apply their specialized knowledge of aerodynamics, thermo-fluid mechanics, propulsion, structures, dynamics, control, and performance to a wide variety of problems encountered in the design of vehicles or systems. They develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space systems.
Aerospace Specialties
Fields of specialization within aerospace engineering include:
- Avionics—electronic systems designed for use on an aircraft
- Aerodynamics—a branch of fluid dynamics that studies forces and gas flows
- Astrodynamics—the study of orbital mechanics and satellite systems
- Engineering Mechanics—analyzing and predicting the acceleration and deformation of objects under known forces/loads or stresses
- Flight Mechanics and Propulsion—internal combustion engines, jet engines, and rockets
Aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering are the most common degrees held by practicing aerospace engineers in the field.
Aerospace Engineers at Work
Aerospace engineers work as part of a team taking on specific roles and functions.
Design
Design engineers take creative ideas and turn them into a blueprint for a new or improved product—such as an engine, wing, or landing gear. The redesigned or new part must work as an integral component of the whole and conform to the rules of aerodynamics or astrodynamics. Aerospace engineers use computer aided-design software, robotics, lasers, and advanced electronic optics.
Systems Engineering
Aerospace engineers can also function as systems engineers—addressing the complex issues of how hardware, software, and all components of the systems work together. They analyze the project or mission, develop systems requirements, and ensure all components work together properly to achieve the goals.
Testing and Evaluation
Within a product group, engineers must take on the role of testing and evaluating the products designed—from propulsion systems to aerodynamics, acoustics, thermal conditions, structures, stability and control, performance, and vehicle systems. Test engineers need special facilities such as wind tunnels or test chambers and complex software models to do their work and ensure all products will perform properly under real world conditions.
Field Service
Engineers must also work directly with customers to understand their needs, ensure products work properly in the field, and fix any problems that occur after the product has been built.
Computer aided-design software, robotics, lasers, and advanced electronic optics are among the tools today's aerospace engineers use to do their jobs.
Aerospace Scientist
In addition, some aerospace engineers function as scientists, exploring and discovering new technologies and approaches to advance the science of aerospace engineering.
More than 70 colleges and universities in the United States offer aerospace engineering as a major.
- During their preparations for the Olympics, the U.S. Bobsled team used the wind tunnel in the aerospace engineering department at the University of Maryland to analyze how changes in the sled's design and its crew's positions would affect its time on the track.
- Michael Crichton's book "AirFrame" is a techno-thriller set in the aerospace industry. In addition to a suspenseful read, it provides great insight into airplane components and manufacturing.
- Jodi Foster played the role of an aeronautical engineer in the movie FlightPlan. The suspense takes place on an aircraft her character helped to design.
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