Aerospace engineering is concerned with the flight of vehicles in the atmosphere and beyond, and includes the study and development of systems, such as aircraft, helicopters, launch vehicles, artificial satellites, and spacecraft for the exploration of outer space. It is a pioneering field that encompasses and integrates many areas of science and engineering, and plays a major role in the technological advancements of our society. The aerospace industry embraces not only the design and development of conventional aircraft and spacecraft, but also such areas as the development of high speed ground and naval transportation systems.
Here are few of the many reasons:
Aerospace engineers design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles and supervise the manufacture of these products. Those who work with aircraft are called aeronautical engineers, and those working specifically with spacecraft are astronautical engineers. Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration, often specializing in areas such as structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication, or production methods. They also may specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial aircraft, military fighter jets, helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets, and may become experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, propulsion, acoustics, or guidance and control systems.
Courtesy of: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Engineers, on the Internet (visited December 10, 2008).
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