
A future aerospace engineer can expect to work in labs that are within air conditioned buildings. The future engineer may also be required to travel for many different reasons. Some of these reasons may include: having to consult with manufacturers, to remote testing locations to observe flight tests, or to actually participate in the test. The locations that a future aerospace engineer can plan to live and work in are mainly located in Texas, California, and Washington. The major Aerospace companies today include: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Grumman, and NASA. Earnings for an aerospace engineer are mainly based upon their education. An engineer that only has achieved a bachelors degree can expect to earn approximately $41,847 dollars a year. Those engineers with mid level education could expect to earn between $62,230 and $76,750. Finally, those with the highest level of education should make anywhere from $124,461 and above. The salaries for those in the government are much lower, with the average salary being only $54,000. Aerospace engineers can also expect to receive the normal benefits. These benefits include: vacation and sick days, paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and a retirement program.
Aerospace engineers are responsible for developing extraordinary machines, from airplanes that weigh over a half a million pounds to spacecraft that travel over 17,000 miles an hour. They design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles and supervise the manufacturing of these products. Aerospace engineers who work with aircraft are considered aeronautical engineers, and those working specifically with spacecraft are considered astronautical engineers. Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration, often specializing in areas such as structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication, or production methods. They often use Computer-aided Design (CAD), robotics, and lasers and advanced electronic optics to assist them. They also may specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial transports, military fighter jets, helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets. Aerospace engineers may be experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, propulsion, acoustics, or guidance and control systems. Aerospace engineers typically are employed within the aerospace industry, although their skills are becoming increasingly valuable in other fields. For example, aerospace engineers in the motor vehicles manufacturing industry design vehicles that have lower air resistance, increasing the fuel efficiency of vehicles.
Aerospace engineering majors learn how to use math and science to design and develop aircraft and spacecraft. They also study such topics as aerodynamics, launch, flight controls, and engines.
“There is something incredibly fascinating about how airplanes remain stable in flight and how satellites move around the earth.”
Curious, creative, logical, and detail-oriented. This is a great major if you want to turn your ideas into useful machines.
Once you make it to your third year as an aerospace engineering major, the action really begins. Your classes will involve labs and team projects. And you’ll most likely end your studies working with a team on a capstone project. You might test power systems or experimental landing gear, design spacecraft or aircraft on a computer, or even build actual landing gear or power systems.
Aerospace engineers design all kinds of manned and unmanned aircraft and spacecraft, from small airplanes to satellites. They test and build new designs and work to improve existing machines.
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