Table of Contents
- Refer to Chapter 1 (eBook)
Introduction
The word engineering is derived from the Latin words ingeniare (”to create, generate, contrive, devise”) and ingenium (”cleverness”). Aerospace engineering is a field that is concerned with designing, construction, testing, and operating all types of flight vehicles. Engineers in this field mainly focuses on problems related to designing strong but lightweight vehicles that can achieve successful and efficient atmospheric or space flight.
Aerospace engineering is compromised of two primary branches: aeronautical engineering (aeronautics) and astronautical engineering (astronautics).
- Aeronautical engineering (aeronautics) is the field associated with designing and building atmospheric flight vehicles that can fly within the normal confines of the Earth’s atmosphere and propelled by air-breathing engines.
- Astronautical engineering or astronautics is the field associated with designing and building different types of exo-atmospheric vehicles. These flight vehicles are designed to fly beyond the limits of the Earth’s atmosphere or in outer space and propelled by rocket engines.
To successfully design any aircraft or spacecraft requires a detailed understanding of many fundamental engineering disciplines, which will include:
- Fluid dynamics and aerodynamics.
- Propulsion systems, both air-breathing and rockets.
- Structures, materials, structural dynamics, and aeroelasticity.
- Electronics, electrical systems, and avionics.
- Acoustics (noise), both external and internal.
- Flight dynamics and flight control systems.
- Orbital mechanics.
- Software and software engineering.
- Other things such as economics, human factors engineering, safety matters, regulations, airworthiness, certification, etc.