Aerospace Engineering Joe Zobel SMART Lab Period 3

Field Report
Aerospace engineering is an area of engineering that deals with the design and construction of aircraft and spacecraft. Aerospace engineers do research, design, and develop vehicles for air and space conditions. Aerospace engineering can be broken down into two categories, aeronautical and astronautical. Things that stay inside earths atmosphere fall into aeronautical and things that go outside of earths atmosphere fall into astronautical. The aerospace engineering field covers basics such as airfoil, control surfaces, lift, and drag. Aerospace engineers have to be knowledgeable in astrodynamics, fluid mechanics, mathematics, electro technology, control engineering, and materials science, among other things. Due to the complexity of the field, aerospace engineers hardly ever work individually, usually working toward a common goal in organized teams.

Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineers work in the field of researching, designing, and constructing aeronautical and astornautical vehicles. Their pay and jobs prospects are good. You need a lot of education and preparation. Area 1: Design Aerospace engineers are often responsible for coming up with the designs for airplanes, rockets, and other aerospace vehicles. They have to be very knowledgeable precise in order to make sure nothing goes wrong with the designs. Area 2: Construction People in this engineering field can also be responsible for actually constructing the vehicles themselves. They have to be very skilled and knowledgeable of the vehicles. Area 3: Research Many aerospace engineers simply research the field of study and grasp the knowledge of how it works. Job Prospects A slight downfall is expected in coming years for the demand of aerospace engineers, however the overall demand remains relatively high. Since it takes so much hard work and smarts to get a degree in this field, there is not as much competition compared to other jobs. Type of Work Aerospace engineers are typically involved in the design, construction, and research of aeronautical and astronautical vehicles. Expected Salary Ranges The average yearly salary ranges from about $60,000-$90,000. The bottom 10% make around $50,000 and the top 10% make around $105,000. Duties and Responsibilities Aerospace engineers are often involved in design, construction, and research. They also have to have good technical knowledge and management skills. College Preparation Recommended high school courses include mathematics courses up through Calculus, Computer Science, Engineering classes, and other basic requirements. University Courses University courses may include Aerodynamics, Aerospace Engineering, Advanced Physics, Aircraft and Spacecraft Propulsion, Atmospheric Sciences, Materials Sciences, Structural Dynamics, and more.

References
"Aerospace Engineer." Test Prep: GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, SAT, ACT, and More. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=5>. "Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics." Www.ae.utexas.edu. 6 June 2011. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.ae.utexas.edu/what_is_aero.html>. "Aerospace Engineering Careers, Jobs and Employment Information | Career Overview." Careers, Career Information, Job Search, Descriptions, Education and Job Search Guide. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.careeroverview.com/aerospace-engineeringcareers.html>. "Aerospace Engineering Major - Info, Careers, and Jobs." College Majors Quiz. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.mymajors.com/aerospaceengineering-major>. "Aerospace Engineering." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospace_engineering>.