As an undergraduate at Penn State, I studied Aerospace Engineering, a branch of

engineering that deals with the construction of and theory behind aircraft and
spacecraft. As an academic discipline, aerospace engineering traces back to the early
1900s, when the first aviators began to take flight. However, an important figure in
the history of aerospace engineering is Sir George Cayley, whose work dates back to
the early 1800s. Cayley’s research identified lift and drag as separate forces affecting
any vehicle in flight. Aerospace technology was greatly propelled by the First World
War and the drive to develop military aircraft. The term “aerospace” was not coined
until 1958, when the study of aircraft (aero) and spacecraft (space) were combined
into a single discipline. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was
founded the same year.

Aerospace engineering includes elements of mathematics, physics, and other

engineering fields. Aerospace engineers possess a strong understanding of fluid
dynamics, especially as they relate to aerodynamics. Astrodynamics and orbital
mechanics are important fields of study for aerospace researchers, though they are
often reserved for study at the graduate level. In terms of physics, aerospace
engineers must possess a mastery of statics and dynamics, the way that objects
move and the forces that bear on them. Aerospace technology borrows heavily from
other engineering fields, including electrical technology; propulsion theory;
mechanics; materials engineering; and avionics, the design of computer systems to
be utilized by aircraft. With the development of advanced computing abilities, a new
emphasis has been placed on computer simulations and algorithmically computed
specifications, enabling strides in innovative technology to be attained at a much
faster rate than in the past, when testing relied on the use of models and other less
efficient empirical tests.