Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is similar, but deals with the electronics side of aerospace engineering.
"Aeronautical engineering" was the original term for the field. As flight technology advanced to include vehicles operating in outer space, the broader term "aerospace engineering" has come into use. Aerospace engineering, particularly the astronautics branch, is often colloquially referred to as "rocket science".
Main article image
Computational engineering icon 2.png
Computational engineering icon
F-18F after launch from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).jpg
NORTH ARABIAN SEA (July 10, 2008) An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the "Bounty Hunters" of Strike...
Orbit mechanics icon.svg
Simple icon for orbital mechanics-related notice
People icon.svg
People icon
Pratt & Whitney F100 F-15 engine undergoing testing.jpg
A Pratt & Whitney turbofan engine is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel b...
Apollo 13 Mailbox at Mission Control.jpg
Deke Slayton (checked jacket) shows the adapter devised to make use of square Command Module lithium...
Expedition 42 Soyuz TMA-14M Landing (201503120102HQ).jpg
On March 12, 2015, shortly after local sunrise over central Asia, this Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft floa...
First flight2.jpg
First successful flight of the Wright Flyer, by the Wright brothers. The machine traveled 120 ft (36...
S-IC engines and Von Braun.jpg
Dr. von Braun standing by five F-1 Engines.
A pioneer of America's space program, Dr. von Braun sta...