 | |
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names | Aerospace engineer |
Occupation type | Profession |
Activity sectors | Aeronautics,astronautics,science |
| Description | |
| Competencies | Technical knowledge, analytical skills, management skills (see alsoglossary of aerospace engineering) |
Education required | Bachelor's degree[1][2] |
Fields of employment | Technology,science,space exploration,military |
| Part of a series on |
| Astrodynamics |
|---|
 |
Gravitational influences |
Preflight engineering |
Efficiency measures |
Propulsive maneuvers |
Aerospace engineering is the primary field ofengineering concerned with the development ofaircraft andspacecraft.[3] It has two major and overlapping branches:aeronautical engineering andastronautical engineering.Avionics engineering is similar, but deals with theelectronics side of aerospace engineering.
"Aeronautical engineering" was the original term for the field. As flight technology advanced to include vehicles operating inouter space, the broader term "aerospace engineering" has come into use.[4] Aerospace engineering, particularly the astronautics branch, is often colloquially referred to as "rocket science".[5][a]
Flight vehicles are subjected to demanding conditions such as those caused by changes inatmospheric pressure andtemperature, withstructural loads applied upon vehicle components. Consequently, they are usually the products of various technological and engineering disciplines includingaerodynamics,air propulsion,avionics,materials science,structural analysis andmanufacturing. The interaction between these technologies is known as aerospace engineering. Because of the complexity and number of disciplines involved, aerospace engineering is carried out by teams of engineers, each having their own specialized area of expertise.[7]
The origin of aerospace engineering can be traced back to the aviation pioneers around the late 19th to early 20th centuries, although the work of SirGeorge Cayley dates from the last decade of the 18th to the mid-19th century. One of the most important people in the history of aeronautics[8] and a pioneer in aeronautical engineering,[9] Cayley is credited as the first person to separate the forces oflift anddrag, which affect any atmospheric flight vehicle.[10]
Early knowledge of aeronautical engineering was largely empirical, with some concepts and skills imported from other branches of engineering.[11] Some key elements, likefluid dynamics, were understood by 18th-century scientists.[12]
In December 1903, theWright Brothers performed the first sustained, controlled flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft, lasting 12 seconds. The 1910s saw the development of aeronautical engineering through the design ofWorld War I military aircraft.
In 1914, Robert Goddard was granted two U.S. patents for rockets using solid fuel, liquid fuel, multiple propellant charges, and multi-stage designs.[13] This would set the stage for future applications in multi-stage propulsion systems for outer space.
On March 3, 1915, the U.S. Congress established the first aeronautical research administration, known then as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA.[14] It was the first government-sponsored organization to support aviation research.[13] Though intended as an advisory board upon inception, the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory became its first sponsored research and testing facility in 1920.[15]
Between World Wars I and II, great leaps were made in the field, accelerated by the advent of mainstream civil aviation. Notable airplanes of this era include theCurtiss JN 4,Farman F.60 Goliath, andFokker Trimotor. Notable military airplanes of this period include theMitsubishi A6M Zero,Supermarine Spitfire andMesserschmitt Bf 109 from Japan, United Kingdom, and Germany respectively. A significant development came with the first operationalJet engine-powered airplane, theMesserschmitt Me 262 which entered service in 1944 towards the end of the Second World War.[16]
The first definition of aerospace engineering appeared in February 1958,[4] considering the Earth's atmosphere and outer space as a single realm, thereby encompassing both aircraft (aero) and spacecraft (space) under the newly coined termaerospace.
In response to the USSR launching the first satellite,Sputnik, into space on October 4, 1957, U.S. aerospace engineers launched thefirst American satellite on January 31, 1958. TheNational Aeronautics and Space Administration was founded in 1958 after theSputnik crisis. In 1969,Apollo 11, the first human space mission to theMoon, took place. It saw threeastronauts enter orbit around the Moon, with two,Neil Armstrong andBuzz Aldrin, visiting the lunar surface. The third astronaut,Michael Collins, stayed in orbit to rendezvous with Armstrong and Aldrin after their visit.[17]
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An important innovation came on January 30, 1970, when theBoeing 747 made its first commercial flight from New York to London. This aircraft made history and became known as the "Jumbo Jet" or "Queen of the Skies"[18] due to its ability to hold up to 480 passengers.
Another significant development came in 1976, with the development of the first passengersupersonic aircraft, theConcorde. The development of this aircraft was agreed upon by the French and British on November 29, 1962.[19]
On December 21, 1988, theAntonov An-225Mriya cargo aircraft commenced its first flight. It holds the records for the world's heaviest aircraft, heaviest airlifted cargo, and longest airlifted cargo of any aircraft in operational service.[20]
On October 25, 2007, theAirbus A380 made its maiden commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney, Australia. This aircraft was the first passenger plane to surpass theBoeing 747 in terms of passenger capacity, with a maximum of 853. Though development of this aircraft began in 1988 as a competitor to the 747, the A380 made its first test flight in April 2005.[21]
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Some of the elements of aerospace engineering are:[22][23]
The basis of most of these elements lies in theoreticalphysics, such asfluid dynamics for aerodynamics or theequations of motion forflight dynamics. There is also a largeempirical component. Historically, this empirical component was derived from testing of scale models and prototypes, either inwind tunnels or in the free atmosphere. More recently, advances incomputing have enabled the use ofcomputational fluid dynamics to simulate the behavior of the fluid, reducing time and expense spent on wind-tunnel testing. Those studying hydrodynamics orhydroacoustics often obtain degrees in aerospace engineering.
Additionally, aerospace engineering addresses the integration of all components that constitute an aerospace vehicle (subsystems including power,aerospace bearings, communications,thermal control,life support system, etc.) and its life cycle (design, temperature, pressure,radiation,velocity,lifetime).
Aerospace engineering may be studied at theadvanced diploma,bachelor's,master's, andPh.D. levels in aerospace engineering departments at many universities, and inmechanical engineering departments at others. A few departments offer degrees in space-focused astronautical engineering. Some institutions differentiate between aeronautical and astronautical engineering. Graduate degrees are offered in advanced or specialty areas for the aerospace industry.
A background in chemistry, physics, computer science and mathematics is important for students pursuing an aerospace engineering degree.[25]
The term "rocket scientist" is sometimes used to describe a person of greatintelligence since rocket science is seen as a practice requiring great mental ability, especially technically and mathematically. The term is used ironically in the expression "It's not rocket science" to indicate that a task is simple.[26] Strictly speaking, the use of "science" in "rocket science" is a misnomer since science is about understanding the origins, nature, and behavior of the universe; engineering is about using scientific and engineering principles to solve problems and develop new technology.[5][6] The moreetymologically correct version of this phrase would be "rocket engineer". However, "science" and "engineering" are often misused as synonyms.[5][6][27]
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)The term "rocket scientist" is a misnomer used by the media and in popular culture and applied to a majority of engineers and technicians who worked on the development of rockets with von Braun. It reflects a cultural evaluation of the immense accomplishments of the team but is nevertheless incorrect. ...
Science is about understanding the origins, nature, and behavior of the universe and all it contains; engineering is about solving problems by rearranging the stuff of the world to make new things.
Due to the complexity of the final product, an intricate and rigid organizational structure for production has to be maintained, severely curtailing any single engineer's ability to understand his role as it relates to the final project.
Sir George Cayley is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him the first true scientific aerial investigator and the first person to understand the underlying principles and forces of flight.
English pioneer of aerial navigation and aeronautical engineering and designer of the first successful glider to carry a human being aloft.
A wealthy landowner, Cayley is considered the father of aerial navigation and a pioneer in the science of aerodynamics. He established the scientific principles for heavier-than-air flight and used glider models for his research. He was the first to identify thefour forces of flight--thrust, lift, drag, and weight—and to describe the relationship each had with the other.
The fundamental advances in fluid dynamics that occurred in the 18th century began with the work of Daniel Bernoulli (1700–1782).
10 – It's not rocket science
There has been a deep-rooted failure in the English-speaking media and popular culture to grapple with the distinction between science and engineering.
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