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NateTurk
EnglishIIIHonors
Mrs.Kopp
February26,2015
Turk1
NateTurk
Mrs.ChristineKopp
EnglishIII
26February2015
ABriefHistoryofAerospaceanditsValidityasaCareerChoice
Inthemodernworld,acollegedegreeprovidesaplethoraofcareerchoices.Every
prospectivecollegestudentmustexplorealltheirpossibilitiesandchooseafeasible,yet
desirable,path.Careersinengineeringstandoutassomeofthemostlucrativecareersavailable
withoutadvanceddegrees.Whilemanyfieldsofengineeringofferuniquechallenges,none
matchthequalityandquantityofthosefoundinthedisciplineofaerospace.Aerospace
engineersfocusontacklingchallengesandachievinggoalsrelatingtoaviationandspacetravel.
Intercontinentalballisticmissiles(ICBM),afocusofmanyworkingintheaerospaceindustry,
offeroccupationsrelatingtotheirmaintenanceanddevelopment.CareerspertainingtoICBMs
embodythegoalsandmissionofaerospaceengineerswhileretainingadistinctsetof
opportunitiesthatdefineitasacareerchoice.Thefieldofaerospaceengineeringanditsmajor
component,ICBMs,havearichhistoryalongwithsubstantialsalariesandqualityjobrates
couplethiswithpromisingfuturedevelopmentsandstudentsshouldfindaerospaceasasuitable
anddependablecareerchoice.
Aircraftlikeallgreatinventionsemergedfromhumblebeginnings.In1903,onabeachin
NorthCarolina,OrvilleandWilburWrightmadehistorybydevelopingthefirstselfpropelled
aircraft.Atthetimeofitscreationitseemedunlikelythatthisdangerousandfragileinvention
wouldchangetheworld(TheWrightBrothers).Earlyplanedevelopmenttrailedalongbehind
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thethedevelopmentoftheengine,butbothneededaneventdramaticenoughtoboosttheir
stuntedproductionJustsuchaneventcamealongintheformofWorldWarI(WWI).During
theyearsofgridlockinEurope,bothsidesdesperatelymadeadvanceshopingtosmitetheother
withsuperiortechnology.Advancesinaviationcameintheformofbiplanes,triplanes,more
powerfulengineswithimprovedaerodynamics.DuringWWIdogfights,aerialbattlesbetween
aircraft,occurredforthefirsttimeandsoldiersoftentimeslookeduponthemwithawe.Also
duringWWI,bombers,biplaneswithpeoplethrowinggrenadesoverthesides,peltedenemies
coweringinthetrenches.Afterthefirstworldwar,manycountriesrealizedtheimportanceofair
superiorityandsoughttocreatemorepowerfulanddeadlyaircraft.BythetimeWorldWarTwo
(WWII)startedmostdevelopedcountriesboastedairfieldsfullofbattlereadyplanes.However,
theseplanes,alongwithallthosecreatedprior,containedonefatalflaw:thepropellersusedto
drivethem.
AttheheightoftheSecondWorldWar,Germanengineersdesignednewtypesof
propulsionandweaponry.TheV1,thefirstjetpropelledaircraft,consistedofaonetonpayload
attachedtoaconventionalrotarypropelloraircraft(TheGermansenterV2production).The
V1morecloselyresembledamoderndaymissilethananaircraft,howeveritprovedaturning
pointinthefieldofaerospaceandpavedthewayforfutureadvancements.TheV2rocket,
developedin1942,improvedupontheV1sdesign,whileretainingitsownadvancements.The
Nazisusedthebuddingtechnologyofradiotoincreasetheaccuracyanddevastationcausedby
theV2.WhileinflighttheV2hadtheabilitytoreceivearadiosignalwhichcutpowertothe
rocketandstarteditsdescent,normallyontoLondon.WhiletheV2playedonlyasmallrolein
WWIIitservedasabuildingblockformanyamazingadvancesinthefuture.
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AftertheUnitedStatescreatedtheatomicbombin1945,TheUnitedSovietStatesof
Russia(USSR)quicklydevelopedanuclearprogramandby1949thetwonationsroseasnuclear
superpowersfromtheashesoftheSecondWorldWar.Sincebothcountriesnowpossessedthe
abilitytoannihilatetheentireworld,theyfeltobligatedtocreatefasterwaystodelivertheir
devastatingpayloads.Thiscompetitionsparkedtheeraofpoliticalandmilitarytensionbetween
theUnitedStatesofAmerica(USA)andtheUSSRknownasthecoldwar.Thecoldwarera
initiatedresearchanddevelopmentofaerospacetechnologyinbothnations,includingICBMs
eraalsoinitiatedresearchanddevelopmentonICBMs.ThefirstiterationofICBMsconsistedof
aircraftdropped,unguidedwarheadsthatfellfromtheskymuchlikeconventionalbombs.The
B52A,theflyingfortress,hascarriedouteverynuclearstrikeinhistoryand,becauseofthis,
muchofearlyICBMdevelopmentfocusedonairdroppednuclearweaponsandsuperioraircraft
todeliverthem(Petrinic,55).Anotherreasontofocusonaircraftdevelopmentinsteadof
selfcontainednuclearweaponsearlyoninthenuclearageresultedfromthelackofglobal
positioningsystem(GPS)guidance.ThispreventedaccurateunmannedlaunchesofICBMsand
leftthetopscientificmindssearchingforideas.
TwokeydevelopmentsmadeunmannedmissilespossibleTheintroductionofsupersonic
flightin1947andGPSin1978.TheseadvancementssteeredtheWeaponsofMassDestruction
(WMD)marketawayfromconventionalaircraftpayloadtoselfcontained,rocketpropelled,
orbitalcylindersofdeath.GPSallowedmissileguidanceandtrackingfromorigintotargetwith
deadlyprecision(James),andsupersonicflightcreatedanefficient,butcostlymeansof
transportation.Themainobstacleduringearlysupersonicflightdevelopmentstemmedfromthe
useofafterburners,whichdumpedfuelintotheexhaustpipeofajet.Afterburnersdramatically
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increasedthrustbutsharplydecreasedfuelefficiency.Asenginetechnologyadvancedaircraft
gainedtheabilitytosupercruise,breakthesoundbarrierwithoutafterburners,theworldopened
uptotheadvancementofICBMs(James).Humanitycouldnowquicklyandinexpensively
sendmissilesintoorbitanderadicatethepopulationoftheworldinunderanhour.BeforeGPS
guidanceanyselfcontainedmissileflewdumb,withoutcoursecorrectionortracking.Noone
possessedtheabilitytodetermineifamissilehadhitthetargetuntiltroopsontheground
radioedback.Afterseveralsatellitelaunchesinthe1950sand1960s,areliablenetworksatellite
orbitedaroundtheearth.Thisallowedmissilestocommunicatewithgroundcontrolandcorrect
theircoursemidflight.Theseadvancementsinmissilehardwarepushedaircraftdropped
missilesoutofthespotlightandusheredinanewage.
Thespacerace,anunspokencompetitionbetweentheUSAandUSSR,greatlypromoted
thedevelopmentofICBMs.TheSaturnVrocket,initiallydesignedtocarryastronautsinto
orbit,createdtheframeworkformodernICBMs.ThesimplicityoftheSaturnVsdesign,
essentiallyahugeengineandfueltankwithasmallcabinonthetop,madeittheperfectbasefor
experimentationwithorbitalICBMs.ThemissilesdesignedaroundtheSaturnVincludedthe
MXpeacekeeperICBMandTridentISealaunchedballisticmissile(SLBM).Missilessimilarto
thesewouldhavelaunchedfromunderwatersubmarines,missilessilospositionedallaroundthe
country,andordropfromplanes.Asof2003theUSretains7000missilesfromboththecold
warandmodernerawhichallrequiremaintenance.Thousandsofpeoplededicatetheirlives
keepingthesemasterpiecesofdeathoperationalandreadytolaunchonamomentsnotice.The
mostcomplexofthese,SLBMs,sitdormantinOhioclasssubmarineswheresoldiersand
maintenanceworkerskeepthemworkingandready.Sixteenofthesesubmarinessitsilentlyin
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classifiedlocations,eachwithenoughmissilesonboardstodestroyeverymajorpopulation
centerontheplanet.ICBMsrestinsilosonairforcebasesorinclassifiedlocations.Sincethe
coldwarhasofficiallyended,thestockpilesofnowunnecessaryWMDsgatherdustbutmost
remainoperational.Overthelastdecade,MinutemanIIImissilehavereplaceolderMX
peacekeepersmissiles,whichremaindeactivatedawaitinganewpurpose(Norris).Oldcoldwar
sentimentsremainaliveinmoderndaymissiledesignsandinthejobsofthosewhocarefor
them.
Itrequiresanimmenseamountofresearchandingenuitytocreatesuchdevastating
machines.TothinklogicallythroughthedesignandsciencebehindICBMs,onemustthinkof
airasafluid.Whilethisseemscounterintuitiveasfirst,thescienceofaerodynamicshingeson
thisobservation.Afterthisrevelation,aerospaceengineerscoulddesignICBMsandallflying
machinesaroundcompressiblefluids.Moreaerodynamicsystemsconsumelessfuel,thismeans
thatnewer,moreaerodynamicmissilecanflyfartherandfasterthantheirbulkypredecessors.
Orbitaltrajectory,theuseofmathandsciencetocalculateamissilespatharoundtheplanet,
posesaseriouschallengetoaerospaceengineers.Whenamissile,suspended250milesabove
thesurfaceoftheearth,needstoreentertheatmospherewithpinpointaccuracy,itrequiresa
substantialamountofpreciselyexecuted,complexmathematics.Also,themissilesnotonly
havetotravelaroundtheearth,butcompensatefortheearthsrotationarounditsaxis,greatly
increasingthecomplexityofitstrajectory.Inadditiontothesefactors,allofthesecalculations
mustrunautonomouslysincepeoplewillnotaccompanyanICBMtoitstarget.ICBMsmust
receiveandinterpretdatawirelessly,throughsatellites,furthercompoundingthechallengeof
guidingthesemissilestotheirtargetswithouterror.Alloftheworkthatgoesintocreatingsuch
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intricateequipmentmakesuponlyafractionoftheconcernsandchallengesthataerospace
engineersfacedaily.
Schoolingconsumesalargeportionoftheearlylivesofmostengineers.Thismakes
collegechoiceamassivelyimportantpartofanaspiringengineerslife.Whilesimplyattending
anycollegeputsthemonthecorrectpath,choosingasuitableinstitutionmakesallthe
difference.UniversitieslikeMassachusettsinstituteoftechnology(MIT)nearBoston,MAand
DukeUniversityinNorthCarolinaprovidetopnotcheducation,butimposesignificantfinancial
obligations.OtherschoolssuchasNorthCarolinaStateUniversityinRaleigh,NCorVirginia
Techoffercomparableeducationsbutlacktheprestigeofhighertieruniversities(Best
UndergraduateEngineeringPrograms).Withtheirentirecareerhanginginthebalance,engineers
mustworkhardandmaintainhighmarksthroughouttheireducation.Evenpublicengineering
institutionsrequirehighGradePointAverages(GPA)andstandardizedtestscores.Forexample,
NorthCarolinaStateUniversityconsidersstudentswithaB+averagethroughouthighschoolin
collegepreparationclassesassuitablecandidatesforengineeringprograms.Onceanengineer
managestoenteracollege,fourtosixyearsofdifficult,yetrewardingschoolworkawaitsthem.
Suchanimportantanddetailoriented/perfectionrequiringcareerrequiresextensive
educationandrigorouscourses.Aerospaceengineersneedtoknowtheconceptstaughtin
fundamentalcourses,suchasaerodynamics,thermodynamicsandcalculus,alongwithmore
advancedandspecializedcourses,suchasflighttrajectoryandpropulsion.Thecourseof
aerodynamicsfocusesonfluids,bothcompressibleandincompressible,offersinsightinto
calculatingdragandreducingairresistanceonaircraftandlaysthegroundworkforanycareerin
aerospaceengineering.Thermodynamics,acoursecoveringthemovementofheatandenergy,
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teachesengineersvitallessonsaboutstressandthepropertiesofmatter.Itallowsstudentsto
predictfailuresinaircraftstructuresandcreatestheoperationalframeworkofmostmodern
engines.Calculusprovidesabasic,butcomprehensive,overviewofmathematicalproblem
solving.Otherthanitsimportanceasageneraleducationmathematicsclass,calculusgives
engineersanimportantlookintorealworldcriticalthinkingnotavailableinrudimentary
mathematics.Calculusalsoteachesintegrationandoptimization,twoskillsintegralforanytype
ofmanufacturing.Priortograduation,aerospaceengineersalsoacquireschoolingincareer
specificadvancedlevelcourses.Theclassofpropulsionteachesaircraftspecificphysics,some
chemistryalongwithtopicssuchasthrustandcombustionmakingupasizableportionofthe
class.Coursestakenincollegeandgraduateschoolprepareengineersfortherigorousand
competitivejobmarket.
Mostaerospaceengineersobtainabachelor'sdegreeintheirrespectivefieldandmoveon
toobtainandMastersdegree.AccordingtoJohnMoloneyaseniorprojectmanagerforPenske
Racing,Typically,thefirstfewyearsoutofschool,theyoungengineeristryingtoearn
coworkersandmanagementsrespect(Moloney).Thistransitionaltimefromcollegetofull
fledgedengineerallowsyounggraduatesanopportunitytomatureandlearnnecessaryskills.
Afterworkingforfiveyears,engineersoftenobtainaProfessionalEngineer(P.E)certification
afterpassinganextensivetestofengineeringandproblemsolvingability.Withthesebaseline
engineeringdegrees,recentcollegegraduatescanexpecttoearnastartingsalaryof
$5500060,000.Withthisstartingsalary,aerospaceengineersfindthemselvesontheupperend
ofmedianearnings(Summary).Thecurrenteconomylacksenoughengineerstofillallthe
positionsavailableandcompaniesneedmoreengineertokeepupwithgrowingindustries.High
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startingsalarieswithonlyafourorsixyeardegreemakeengineeringasustainablecareerchoice
withoutexcessiveeducationbeforeenteringthejobmarket.
Careersrelevanttoadegreeinaerospaceengineeringincludeaeronauticalengineering,
astronauticalengineeringandmaterialscience.Aeronauticalengineersstudy,design,andtest
aircraftandaerodynamicsofsystemsoperatingwithintheEarthsatmosphere.Trendingtopics
foraeronauticalengineersexistprimarilyintheformsofmotorvehiclesandmilitaryand
commercialaircraft.Theatmospheresensitiveaspectofaeronauticalengineeringcausesthose
inthatfieldtospendalargeamountoftimefocusingonhowEarthsatmosphereinteractswith
solidobjects.Incontrast,thefieldofastronauticalengineeringfocusesonpropellingaircraft
intoorbitandbeyond.Inthepast,projectsinastronauticalengineeringhavereceivedtheir
fundingalmostexclusivelyfromthegovernmenthowever,inrecentyearsbusinesseshavetaken
aninterestandstartedfundedprivatespaceprogramsforleisureandresearch.Materialsciences,
anotherimportantpartofaerospace,handlesthemostbasicformsofaircraftdesign.Material
scientistsuseknowledgeinchemistryandphysicstodevelopstronger,moredurableandlighter
weightmaterialsforaircraftconstruction.Anycommercialairlineormilitarycontractorrequires
materialscientiststoassistwithcreationoffailresistantandefficientaircraft(Turner,1618).
Eachofthesefieldshasoffereduniqueandplentifulobstacles,inthepastandwillcontinuetoin
thefuture.
TheFederalAviationAdministration(FAA)setsbothqualitystandardsandfuturegoals
formostfieldsofavionics.Earlythismillenium,theFAAdisclosedtheirgoalsforthefirst
quarterofthecentury.Theseincluderemovingflightdelays,reducingenvironmentalimpact,
increasingthecomfortofcommercialflights,andevencommercialflightstospace(Futureofthe
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U.Saviationsystem).Whilethelattersparkstheinterestofaspiringaerospaceengineers,allthe
goalsrequiresubstantialworkandhighlightapossibleincreaseinemploymentopportunitiesin
theaerospaceindustry.Thecolossaltaskofreducingflightdelayshitshomewithmosttravelers
andairlinesalike.Themostfeasiblesolutionforthisproblemrestsintheuseofunmanned
aircraftinthecommercialmarket.Thischangewouldrequiresubstantialamountsofresearch
anddevelopmentfrommajoraerospacefirms,aswellassubstantialworkfromallsectorsofthe
aerospaceindustry..ThenextFAAgoalconsistsofincreasingjetefficiencyandreducing
environmentalimpact.Aerospaceandchemicalengineerswilllikelyaccomplishthisbycreating
anewtypeoffuelorbyimprovingthedesignofenginesusedinaircraft.Thelargestcommercial
taskforthosefocusedonaerodynamicsexistsintheFAAsgoaltoimprovethecomfortof
flight.Tomeetthisgoalaerospaceengineersmustdesignmoreaerodynamicplaneslessproneto
turbulence.Luckilyforastronauticalengineers,challengesstillawaitontheirhorizon.TheFAA
endorsescommercialflightstospaceforwealthyindividualsorresearchinstitutionsby2025.
Astronauticalengineersmustdevelopefficientandsafewaystoexitandreentertheatmosphere,
alongwithcosteffectivemeansofdoingsoTheFAAsgoalsshowabrightfutureforthe
aerospaceindustryandposeinterestingchallengesforprospectiveengineers.
WhiletheFAAfocusesprimarilyoncommercialregulationsandobjectives,some
companiesandcountrieslooknotonlyforconventionalimprovements,buttothestars.CubeSat,
anexperimentoutoftheCaliforniaPolytechnicInstitute,consistsofsmallcubelikesatellites
weighingapproximately1.33kgeach.Researcherscancustomizethesesatelliteswithsmall
instrumentsforspecificmissions.CubeSatsalsocancombinewithoneanothertoaccomplish
morecomplextasksforlargermissions(McKee).Additionally,manycompaniessuchasSpaceX
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andMarsOne,theNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA),andothercountries
intendonestablishingpermanenthumancoloniesonMarsby2025(Powell).Eachpartofthis
colossaltaskoffersuniquechallengestoaerospaceengineersfromdesigningthelunarslingshot
mechanictocreatingsustainabilityduringflight.Occupations,commercialspaceflight,and
missionstomarsexemplifythenewhorizonintheaerospaceindustryandtheadvancementsthat
accompanyit.
Anewanduniquechallengeforaeronauticalengineerscomesfromthemilitarysector.
Aftertheircreation5thgenerationaircraft,thecurrentmilitarystandard,usheredinaneraof
stealthandprecisionhowever,theseaircraftstillfallshortagainstmodernweaponsystems.By
2025majoraerospacefirmslikeBoeingandLockheedMartinhopetodevelop6thgeneration
aircraftwithnewandinnovativefeatures,suchasdefenceagainstenergyweaponsandtheability
torepairmidflight.thesetwomajorcharacteristicsofearly6thgenerationaircraftdesigns
showcasejustwhattypesofobstaclestheaircraftwillface..Therecentdevelopmentofcombat
effectivelaserspresentsanyoneworkingon6thgenerationaircraftwithaconundrum:howto
makeaircraftbothlightanddurableagainstsomethingthatmeltsaluminum.Also,theexpanding
3Dprintermarketprovidesaerospaceengineerstheabilitytorepairaircraftmidflightoreven
midcombat(A5thgenerationfighter).Thecomplexdesignof6thgenerationaircraftpresents
buddingindustrieswithapreviouslynonexistentneedforengineers.
Inthischallengingworld,engineersmustfindcreativesolutions.Throughouttheir
collegecareer,perspectiveengineerslearnimportantskillstosucceedinthemodernworld.
Engineeringofferslucrativecareersthatrequirealotschooling,butgrantthoseresourceful
enoughtocompleteitgreatjobsecurity.Enoughchallengesawaitinaircraftdesign,ICBMs,
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andaerodynamicstokeepengineersoccupiedforyearstocome.Also,greatstartingsalariesand
highjobsecurityallowengineerstoworkandfeelsafewhileaccomplishingthenextfeatsinthe
aerospaceindustry.Uponlookingintothepromisesofaerospaceengineeringasacareerthe
choiceisclear,itisnotrocketscience.
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