 Aerospace
engineers create machines, from airplanes that weigh over a half a
million pounds to spacecraft that travel over 17,000 miles an hour. They
design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles and
supervise the manufacture of these products.
Aerospace engineers 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 often use computer-aided
design (CAD) software, robotics, and lasers and advanced electronic
optics. They also may specialize in a particular type of aerospace
product, such as commercial transports, military fighter jets,
helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets. Aerospace engineers
may be experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics,
propulsion, acoustics, or guidance and control systems.
 Aerospace engineers typically are employed in the aerospace product
and parts industry, although their skills are becoming increasingly
valuable in other fields. For example, in the motor vehicles
manufacturing industry, aerospace engineers design vehicles that have
lower air resistance and, thus, increased fuel efficiency.
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Aerospace Engineering Resources |
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Online |
Downloads |
Profiles of Aerospace Engineers:
Interviews of Professionals |
PDF on each profile
page |
Overview:
Overview of Aerospace Engineering |
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Preparation:
Admission Requirements, Alternate Degree Paths, Graduate
Programs, Accredited Programs |
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Day in the Life:
Teams and Coworkers, Tasks, the Workplace |
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Earnings:
Employer Options, Salary Ranges, Types of Employers |
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Employment:
Statistics, Industries, Employers |
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Career Path Forecast:
Predictions |
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Professional Organizations:
Resources, Networking, Support |
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Podcast:
Overview of the field of Aerospace Engineering |
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Internet Resources:
 American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
AIAA
Ask an Engineer
AIAA
History of Aerospace
Aerospace
and Electronics Systems Society of the IEEE
Aerospace
Industries Association
American
Astronautical Society
NASA
NASA
Explorer Schools Program
Society
of Flight Test Engineers
US
Department of Commerce Aerospace Profile |
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Photos are courtesy of NASA.
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