Table of Contents
#1 Aerospace Derived From Aeronautical Engineering
The term aerospace engineering is derived from aeronautical engineering, which means navigation through the air but the fact is that aerospace engineering deals with the technology of crafts that are navigating through space.
In other words, aeronautical engineers are involved in designing and development of atmospheric flying vehicles but an aerospace engineer is responsible for the designing and development of space vehicles that include rockets, satellites, both manned and unmanned space crafts, etc.
#2 Aerospace is a Vast Area of Study
Another fact involving Aerospace engineering is that it is a vast area of study that incorporates fields like Fluid Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Aerodynamics, Sold Mechanics, Composite Materials, and many more. An aerospace engineer should have excellent mathematical skills to deal with the above-mentioned subjects.
#3 Using Many World’s Sophisticated Instruments
Another interesting fact about aerospace engineering is that this field is using many of the world’s sophisticated instruments, tools, and software that are not used by other fields of engineering. The aerospace engineering manufacturing section has high technology involving robots, the design engineers in this field are using Computer Aided Drafting and many more.
The career of an aerospace engineer will be mostly from wind tunnel testing to spacecraft design. Some of the jobs that an aerospace engineer does are design engineer, a career in composite material, etc. An aerospace engineer may need to formulate mathematical models and concepts to design a new thing or modify an existing one.
There is one miserable fact for those who want to peruse a career in aerospace engineering. Aerospace engineering has only very few job opportunities around the world because it is a very small industry now. But in the future, space flight will be common as our road transport, and at that time aerospace engineers will have enormous opportunities.
#4 New Branch of Engineering
Aerospace engineering can be considered a new branch of engineering, the growth of the field started with the attempt of mankind for powered flight.
Another fact on aerospace engineering deals with space crafts and its launch vehicle also called rockets, but today not only classical types of rockets are considered launch vehicles but also conceptual vehicles that will take off and land like a normal aircraft performing space applications also.
#5 First Spacecraft
The spacecraft is an integral part of aerospace engineering, the launch of the first artificial satellite can be considered the launch of the first spacecraft. The first satellite was Sputnik 1 launched by the Soviet Union. It was launched on 4th October 1957.
The first interplanetary spacecraft was also launched by the Soviet Union. The spacecraft’s name was Venera 3. It was a flyby mission to the planet Venus.
#6 First Rockets of China
Another interesting fact about the launch vehicle rocket is that the first rockets are used in China in AD 1100. These are solid-propellant rockets mainly used for fireworks and war. Later after the Second World War, rockets are widely used for space applications.
In 1852 first steam-powered steerable airship was made by Jules Henri Giffard. Airships are lighter than air aircraft.
This is considered one of the earliest attempts at powered flight. As technology develops humans are using outer space for many needs like satellite communication, weather forecasting, satellite-based navigation, etc. these purposes need heavy launch vehicles to place the artificial satellite in orbit around earth. So the facts about launch vehicles are a non-avoidable thing in aerospace engineering.
#7 Space X’s Falcon Heavy Rocket
American based space company Space x’s Falcon Heavy rocket is the most powerful rocket used today. Falcon Heavy can carry a payload of sixty-three thousand kilograms to low earth orbit.
The aerospace field is always tricking us with strange facts. The fact is that the rocket used for the first moon landing has more caring capacity than the currently operating heavy lifter falcon heavy. The Saturn V rockets are used for lifting the Apollo space crafts. The Saturn V rocket can place one lakh forty thousand kilograms into low earth orbit.
The aerospace rocket engine has also some cool facts. There is solid-propellant rockets, Liquid propellant rockets, and Hybrid rockets that are mainly used currently. The propellant is the fuel used in the rocket, the rocket needs to carry an oxidizer because there is no oxygen to burn the fuel in space.
Solid propellant rockets are using solid fuel and oxidizer mixture, These types of rockets are mainly used as booster rockets for initial ignition.
The other type is a liquid propellants rocket in which liquid propellants and liquid oxidizer is carried by rocket. Mostly this will be the second or third stage in the rocket used for space flight. The liquid fuel is mostly liquefied hydrogen and oxidizer as liquefied oxygen.
The liquid oxygen and hydrogen required a temperature of -183 degrees Celsius and -253 degrees Celsius respectively. To keep these fuels and oxidizers in the liquid stage a highly advanced rocket engine is required it is called a Cryogenic engine.
