Aerospace Engineering- From Modification of Earth to Exploration of Spatial Frontiers

Muhammad
Ammad Cheema
Aerospace EngineeringFrom Modification
of Earth to Exploration of
Spatial Frontiers

Abstractthis research paper describes the role

of aerospace engineers in the betterment of this
world. The research paper has put light upon the
history of world before the advent of aerospace
engineering and then there are some aspects of the
role of Aerospace Engineering in the current era and
ultimately the future horizons are explained that
would completely change the vision of earth.
Basically, I have explained the role of aerospace
engineering in the modification of this world and
have described the journey to the exploration of
spatial frontiers and a bright future ahead that
would be a gift of aerospace engineering.

testing and the operation of such vehicles that are

capable of flight and operate both in the Earths
atmosphere as well as the outer space. The first
definition of aerospace engineering appeared in 1958
that considered the atmosphere of Earth and the outer
space as the single realm for the development of flightcapable vehicles.

III. ROLES OF AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER

Aerospace engineers work in an extremely diverse field,
and as such, they play a large number of different roles:

I.INTRODUCTION
We all know what importance and what sort of
numerous gifts, engineering has bestowed upon earth.
They are certainly uncountable. If we see around us and
start pondering upon the applications of engineering in
the society build-up, then we come to know that a world
without engineers cant be even imagined. The space
travel, MP3s, the worlds tallest buildings, video games,
undersea adventure none would be possible without
engineers. There is an application of an engineering
branch in almost everything that is related to our life.
From the structure of bridges that span the worlds
foremost waterways to the modelling of new cars to the
development of a complex computer program for NASA
to the production of clothing garmentsengineering is
everywhere! Theodore Von Karman, aerospace
engineer has rightly said,
Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers
create the world that never was. [1]
So in short, engineering has added a lot to the
betterment of this world. In my research paper, I shall
mention about the services that aerospace engineers
have provided to the betterment of humanity.

Research They can find working in a

government,
university, or a company
laboratory, aerospace engineers investigate the
problems in specific areas, such as propulsion,
aerodynamics, or computer modeling.
Design Operating mainly in a corporate
setting, new aircraft, spacecraft, and engines
are developed by teams of design engineers.
Some teams also revise existing designs to
improve fuel efficiency or speed.
Testing By using equipment including wind
tunnels, flight simulators, and strain gauges,
testing engineers work with research or design
teams to examine characteristics of vehicles,
either in flight or mounted on a test stand.
Product Support Coordinating efforts with
customers, support engineers provide for
maintenance, safety, and efficiency upgrades.
Teaching Acting as a visiting scholar or a
member of the faculty, many aerospace
engineers share their knowledge and experience
with university students.
Management Leading design or research
teams, senior engineers with management
training supervise budget, personnel, and other
business matters. [11]

II. WHAT IS AEROSPACE ENGINEERING?

Aerospace engineering is a field of engineering that is
related with the design, development, construction,

Author: Muhammad Ammad Cheema

Registration Number:140101009
Aero 13-B
Dated: February 2,2015.

IV. DATING BACK T O HISTORY

The study of the roots of aerospace engineering takes
us to the beginning era of mechanical engineering

Aerospace Engineering- From Modification of Earth to Exploration of Spatial Frontiers

where the inventors were pondering upon their concepts
and to the initial studies of aerodynamics. Aerodynamics
is a branch of theoretical physics.
Leonardo da Vincis ornithopter and aerial
screw-The first man who can be credited with
drawing the first sketch of a flight vehicle is
Leonardo da Vinci who gave the ideas of an
ornithopter (modeled like a bird) and an aerial
screw (predecessor of helicopter).
Invention of hot air balloon-Then came 1783,
where first manned flight was achieved via a
hot-air balloon designed by French brothers
Joseph-Michel
and
Jacques-tienne
Montgolfier. Here, the need of a propulsion
system to assist the forward motion was realized
and the idea was first of all proposed by
Benjamin Franklin that led to the development
of dirigible.
First power driven balloon- Frenchman, Henri
Gilford invented the power driven balloon in
1852.
Gliders- Sir George Cayley built the first
successful glider in 1849.
First sustained flight of heavier-than-air
vehicle- The Wright Brothers, Orville and
Wilbur Wright, also called the fathers of modern
manned flight achieved the first sustained flight
from a heavier-than-air vehicle in 1903.
Use of airplane in war started- Wright brothers
refined their design and started selling airplanes
to the U.S. Army in the World War 1. This was
the first motivation for the usage of aircrafts for
specific military missions such as bombing,
reconnaissance and fighter attacks.
Civil air transportation- After the war, use of
aircrafts in the civil sector was emphasized.
British paved the way for civil aviation in 1920.
Solo flight- Charles A. Lindberghs solo flight
across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 provided a
boom for aviation.
Better
structureThere
were
many
advancements in the field of metallurgy and this
brought improved strength-to-weight ratios and
coupled with a monocoque design that enabled
the aircraft to fly farther and faster.
Air transport- the first all-metal monoplane was
built by Hugo Junkers in 1910 but till 1933, the
design was not accepted when the Boeing 247D, entered the service with the twin-engine
design and laid the foundation for air transport.
Author: Muhammad Ammad Cheema
Registration Number:140101009
Aero 13-B
Dated: February 2,2015.

Jet powered airplane- A German Heinkel He

178 made first jet flight on Aug 27, 1939. With
the advent of World War II the growth of
airplanes was accelerated. First practical
American jet was Lockheed F-80 in 1945.
Commercial aircrafts- Now, the commercial
aircrafts gained importance when the war ended
that emphasized on improving the efficiency of
jet engine. In 1949, the commercial jet transport
flight was inaugurated by the British de
Havilland Comet.
Boeing 707- in 1958, Boeing 707, the highly
successful jet transport began some non-stop
transatlantic flights. Since then, we are
improving the propulsion, materials, avionics
and the stability controls. Smaller airliners that
are more fuel-efficient are being developed

All the fore-mentioned great people can undoubtedly, be

called as the first aerospace engineers. So, what would
the world look like without their contribution? The answer
is easy, we could not even think of covering thousands
of kilometers in a span of minutes. This was mere
impossible without aerospace engineering. In making
this world a global village, aerospace engineering
equally deserves a credit. Aerospace engineering has
provided the medium that connects individuals from two
poles of earth to come and meet each other. We have to
highlight and thanks the aerospace engineers in
particular for all the energy that have brought and
solved the difficult problems and their outstanding ability
that articulated a vision for the future and then the skill
that they have put into designing the future and their
ongoing struggle to make the impossible happen. [2] [3]
[4]

V.WORLD WITHOUT AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

Without the contribution of aerospace engineers, the
long distance travel would have been really slow and
expensive. The worldwide communications would be
cumbersome and unreliable. The knowledge of
geopolitical and ecological events would be haphazard
and deferred. If there was no aerospace engineering,
the understanding of our position in the space would
also be limited and we would have been confined to a
single small blue dot forever. [5]

Aerospace Engineering- From Modification of Earth to Exploration of Spatial Frontiers

VI. IS SKY THE LIMIT?

No, it isnt. Sky is rather just the beginning. Alongside
the development of flight capable vehicles inside the
earths atmosphere, a major portion of aerospace
engineering is the space exploration where we design
and build jet fighters, spaceships, satellites, rockets,
missiles taking in account the principles of
aerodynamics and these all are a major part of our daily
life and affect us in various ways. Aerospace
engineering has provided humanity with a number of
different incredible products that certainly aim to go
beyond the power of imagination. The exploration of
spatial frontiers is soon going to be conquered and if we
take a look at the current advancements, then we come
across Saturn V moon rocket, the International Space
Station and the largest passenger jet of the world. All
are the outcomes of aerospace engineering.

VII. HOW CAN SPACE EXPLORATION BENEFIT THE

EARTHLING LIFE?
There are numerous problems on earth. Then, why
should we focus on the space exploration? Actually, this
is the basic reason why we should continue exploring
the space. Aerospace engineers have the incredible
opportunity, skill and ability to improve the peoples lives
and really solve the mighty grand challenges of
Humanity. But how does this happen? Lets see. When
you have a passion to explore and colonize space, then
the things that you realize is that you have to become
100% self-sufficient when you will go there. Recycle all
the waste, clean your water supply, collect each and
every energy trace that you require and grow all the
food and perform all this in a completely sustainable
manner. The technologies that the aerospace engineers
have created to enable human to explore and live in
space will directly benefit all the people on earth. For
raising the standard of living and making our lives
better, these technologies are really essential.

VIII. MAJOR

BREAKTHROUGHS OF AEROSPACE
ENGINEERING

The list of major projects that can be considered as

legendary in aerospace engineering are enlisted below:-

Author: Muhammad Ammad Cheema

Registration Number:140101009
Aero 13-B
Dated: February 2,2015.

A. Satellite Technology
Satellite technology is a brilliant outcome of the
outstanding approach of aerospace engineers. Satellites
are undoubtedly, the foundational support for how we
are living today. Satellite technology provides you with a
global coverage where you are delivered with a highclass experience of voice, data and video and you can
access them from anywhere in the world. Satellite offers
you quick deployment solutions as they are not affected
by difficult terrain, harsh weather, remote locations and
the terrestrial obstacles. Satellite provides you with a
quick connectivity whenever there is any disaster or
emergency relief scenario.
B. Global Positioning System (GPS)
The navigational aid, Global positioning system is
funded and controlled by the U.S. Department of
Defense. GPS systems utilize 24 satellites that orbit the
earth in a grid pattern. GPS provides you with your
exact location and along with the name of street you are
travelling on, it may also tell you about the latitude and
longitude of the certain place. GPS can also give you
step by step navigational directions with the help of
which you shall never get lost. [5] [6]
C. Environmental remote sensing
Remote sensing is an important tool in the management
of environment in order to provide the latest, detailed
information about the condition of land and usage.
Remote sensing actually makes use of the instruments
that are mounted on satellites or in the planes that
produce images or scenes of the Earths surface. Now,
these remotely sensed images can be used in various
applications, such as:

Land use planning

Monitoring the condition of
agricultural areas
Mineral exploration
To monitor the ocean currents

forest

and

This is also an application of aerospace engineering and

it can be clearly seen how much great impact remote
sensing can have on earth and its betterment. [7]
D. Revolutionizing Different fields
Aerospace engineers continually develop new
technologies for the usage in aviation, defense systems
and the space exploration. Thus, they aim to improve

Aerospace Engineering- From Modification of Earth to Exploration of Spatial Frontiers

and bring revolutions in the structural design, navigation
and control of the aerospace products such as the
military fighter jets, space crafts, commercial aircrafts,
helicopters, missiles and rockets. The aerospace
engineers are using new composite materials that
provide reduction in weight and thus lightweight, noncertified aircraft referred to as ultra-lights whereas the
fuels are also being alternated by ethanol, methanol, the
synthetic fuel from shale deposits and coal and liquid
hydrogen are all being explored. [10]
E. Countless other applications
Aerospace engineering projects are legendary. Apart
from commercial aircrafts, GPS, environmental remote
sensing and the communications through space, there a
lot of other systems that we get benefitted from every
day every moment. Today, we had not been able to see
the television if the satellites were not there orbiting
around the earth. The aerospace engineers are really
crucial in solving the key problems of environment that
affect all the earthlings through the space projects that
monitor the global conditions. Aerospace engineers
make the new technologies so that the new discoveries
of possible. Now, there are some newer systems that
are beginning to have a transformative effect, such as

We use the remotely piloted vehicles in order to

control our borders and deliver goods.
We can have a full motion video from space.
We can have suborbital high speed flights for
the commercial purposes.

And there are some other projects that appeal for

another round of innovation and entrepreneurship that
ripple through our economy and make us competitively
global. Aerospace engineers have undoubtedly made
this world a better, safer, healthier and a prosperous
place. [5]

communication and navigation. We can also build

autonomous aircrafts in order to detect the pipeline
leaks. In the future, we would aim for clean-burning jet
engines, super-efficient wind turbines in order to harvest
the wind energy and an improved plasma display.
Through the amazing space- age materials, we might
design the artificial limbs, invisible braces or the shockabsorbing footwear. There are many possibilities out
there and there is no lack of ideas.
Aerospace engineers have put their heads up for the
invention of flying cars, massive jets, sleek new fighters,
Mars-bound rockets and the hybrid vehicles. These are
such things that we think upon the peak of imagination
in the endless evolution of human flight. [9]
Aerospace Engineering Education
The biggest trend in the aerospace engineering is the
growth of interest among the students. In U.S., there are
65 programs and 25 are the stand alone ones.
Aerospace is the third most popular field for engineering
students. The aerospace profession has expanded from
hardware based science, technology, and engineering to
systems of aerospace engineers. [12]

X. CONCLUSION
Aerospace engineers mainly deal with the space
vehicles and aircrafts and work in each and every level
of design and production. Hence in the light of history,
current scenario and the future aims, we can easily state
that the aerospace engineers have really done a lot for
the sake of humanity and they would continue doing so.
They have created many facilities for us and life without
them would surely mean very difficult. Aerospace
engineers have played their role in making this world a
better place to live in. But they havent stopped there.
They have aimed at space and are launching various
future projects and applications too that will surely
revolutionize all the industry.

IX. AEROSPACE ENGINEERS EYEING ON FUTURE

HORIZONS
Aerospace engineering has really made this world a
better place by the development of safe and reliable
aircraft and spacecraft along with the innovations in
many fields. The ideal for aerospace engineering is
better, faster and cheaper. As an aerospace engineer,
now we are heading to our future horizons and we might
develop the next generation of satellites that can
monitor the environment and also enable the global
Author: Muhammad Ammad Cheema
Registration Number:140101009
Aero 13-B
Dated: February 2,2015.

XI. REFERENCES

[1] "High School Brochure," American Council of Engineering Comp

2009/High%20School%20Brochure.pdf.

[2] K. A. Stanzione, "Encyclopedia Britannica," 18 March 2013. [Onl

January 2015].

Aerospace Engineering- From Modification of Earth to Exploration of Spatial Frontiers

[3] "Aviation Resource Center," [Online]. Available: http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=sciencetech;id=1;url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb

%2Fum_6695%2Fhistory%2F1935_1950%2Ehtml. [Accessed 31 January 2015].
[4] "Universalium Academia," [Online]. Available:
http://universalium.academic.ru/279133/military_aircraft. [Accessed 31 January 2015].
[5] "The American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics (AIAA)," AIAA, [Online]. Available:
http://www.aiaa.org/engineersweek2014/.
[6] A. Mapleridge, "Benefits of GPS Systems,"
[Online]. Available:
http://www.ehow.com/about_5052588_benefits-gps-systems.html.
[7] D. Buske, "Benefit of a GPS System," [Online]. Available:
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/12012/gps_vehicle_tracking/the_benefit_of_a_gps_system.html.
[8] "CSIRO," [Online]. Available:
http://www.csiro.au/Organisation-Structure/Divisions/Computational-Informatics/EMMRemoteSensing.aspx.
[9] "Aerospace Enginering," [Online]. Available:
http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/wayfinder/explore/major/view/id/360.
[10] "SEMTE School For Engineering," [Online]. Available:
http://semte.engineering.asu.edu/aerospace-engineering/.
[11] "The Feasibility of an Aerospace Engineering Career," [Online]. Available:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/dob104/papers/career.html.
[12] "Top 5 Aerospace Trends," [Online]. Available: https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/aerospacedefense/top-5-aerospace-trends-now-future.

Author: Muhammad Ammad Cheema

Registration Number:140101009
Aero 13-B
Dated: February 2,2015.