Solving Real-World Problems with Aerospace Engineering
LET’S SOAR The word aerospace describes Earth’s atmosphere and the region beyond it called outer space Aerospace therefore contains everything above Earth’s surface including the sky the clouds the stars and other planets Aerospace engineers invent build and test vehicles that fly through the atmosphere Aerospace engineering is the field that designs airplanes spaceships satellites and more 4
and those that fly into outer space Those vehicles include airplanes missiles space shuttles and satellites Aerospace engineering is one field or type of engineering Engineers design products that can solve economic environmental or social problems Aerospace engineering solves economic and environmental problems both on Earth and in outer space Solving these problems Aerospace engineers build and test satellites such as this one that was launched into space in late 2009 Atmosphere describes the whole mass of air or gases that surrounds a planet 5
helps the world become a better cleaner and safer place It also makes it easier to travel and to collect and share information All engineers use physics math and chemistry to develop new products or to improve the things we already have An aerospace engineer must have strong knowledge of all three subjects They use math to make calculations such as how much fuel is needed to allow an aircraft to travel a certain distance Aerospace Aerospace engineers design build and inspect the different parts of an aircraft What are some tasks you can think of that are easier to do with the help of aerospace engineering Think About It 6
engineers study chemistry to learn about different materials that can be used to build spacecraft or how chemicals can be combined to make the fuel needed to power a spacecraft Aerospace engineers use their understanding of physics to think about such things as how the shape of an aircraft can allow the aircraft to travel easily through the air Because there are so many different things to think about aerospace engineers usually work in one particular area Here an aerospace engineer uses a wind tunnel to test a model spacecraft 7
