Table of Contents
Introduction
Aeronautics and aerospace engineering is the application of aerodynamics, propulsion, and other disciplines in the development of vehicles, aircraft and spacecraft. It is concerned with the design, construction, and operation of aircraft as well as spacecraft.
Aeronautical engineering
Aeronautical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with aircraft design and production. Aeronautical engineers are responsible for the development, design, testing and manufacturing of aircraft. They also develop new technology to make aircraft safer and more reliable.
Aeronautical engineers may specialize in one or more areas, such as:
- aerodynamics – how air flows around an object
- propulsion – how engines propel a plane through the air
- structures – how to build stronger wings that can hold more weight
Aerospace
Aerospace engineering is a branch of engineering that deals with the design, construction and performance of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is sometimes considered as part of aerospace.[1]
Aeronautical engineering deals with aircraft in Earth’s atmosphere. The study of spaceflight can be divided into two categories: rocketry (the propulsion system) and guidance, navigation, control systems (the guidance system).[2]
Astronautical engineering deals with rockets within Earth’s atmosphere.
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science and engineering of aircraft. It is concerned with the design, construction, and operation of air-breathing aircraft. Aeronautics is an aeronautical branch of engineering.
Aerospace (from Ancient Greek ἀήρ aer “air” and σκοπέω skopéō “to look or see”; hence also ἀήρονας aëronas ‘air vehicle’) is the human effort in science, engineering and business to fly in the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space.[1][2] The term was coined by Theodore von Kármán[3][4] to describe activities involved with the study of aeronautics, including research into new technologies for manned flight.[5] In Germany, where it was first used,[6] aerospace continues to have this meaning.[7]
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is a field of engineering that specializes in the science, design, and testing of aircraft and spacecraft. It is considered a sub-field of aeronautical engineering, which is the branch of mechanical engineering concerned with aircraft. Aerospace engineers are professionals trained to use any combination of mathematics; physics; chemistry; and biology to solve problems related to aerospace systems.[1]
Aerospace engineering lies at the interface between materials science, mechanics and construction technology.[2] The founding year for aerospace engineering as an academic discipline was 1910 when Frederick W. Lanchester,[3][4] who at the time was working as an assistant inspector at the London Commercial Motor Boat Club,[5] published his ground breaking paper “Theory of Aeronautics” in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences.[6][7][8] This paper discussed several topics including fluid mechanics[9], thermodynamics[10], propellers[11][12], aircraft stability[13], wind tunnel testing[14][15], wing structures[16][17], flight dynamics[18][19] as well as many other aspects related to flight vehicles.[20].
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Aeronautics and Astronautics is the branch of engineering that deals with aircraft and spacecraft. The term aeronautical was first coined by William Bland in 1888, from a combination of Greek words meaning “air” (aero) and “feathered wing” or bird flight (nous).
Aeronautical engineering was the original term for the field when it was established in the early 20th century; however, with time, its name has changed to include spaceflight as well. Astronautics deals with anything related to outer space exploration, including rockets and spacecraft.
Aeronautics and Aerospace
Aeronautics and aerospace are closely related fields. Aeronautical engineering is considered to be any aspect of flight involving a vehicle that is heavier than air, from airplanes to rockets. Aerospace engineering covers the design and construction of aircraft, spacecraft and launch vehicles. The definition of aeronautics as “the science or study of the mechanics of flight in air” has been criticized for being too broad because it includes devices such as kites, balloons and hovercraft that do not fly strictly in the atmosphere (and may never have been intended to).
The difference between aeronautics and aerospace can be confusing because some things are commonly called both:
- The Wright brothers were pioneers in both fields—they invented an airplane but also built a wind tunnel to test it; they designed their own aircraft with assistance from other engineers; they even designed propellers based on firsthand knowledge gained while working as bicycle mechanics.
Conclusion
Aeronautics and aerospace engineering is a field of study that deals with the design, construction and operation of aircraft. It also includes the manufacturing, maintenance and testing of all types of aircraft. This includes experimental models that are used to test new designs before they go into production