Aerospace engineering is a branch of the engineering profession focused on the design, fabrication, and testing of items used in air and space craft. This can include airplanes, rockets, space structures, propulsion systems, and products that take advantage of aerodynamics. Aerospace engineering is generally considered to be a branch of mechanical engineering, and share common fundamental disciplines such as physics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.

The field of aerospace engineering can be separated into aeronautical engineering, which focuses on craft that operate within the Earth's atmosphere, and astronautical engineering, which focuses on craft that operate outside of the Earth's atmosphere.

Aerospace engineering was pioneered by scientists and inventors that were investigating methods of flight, starting in the late 19th century and into the 20th century. These innovators included Sir George Cayley in aerospace principles, the Wright Brothers in flight and Robert Goddard in rocketry.http://www.flyingmachines.org/cayl.html

The United States created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 to guide the nation's space development.Stanzione, Kaydon Al (1989). "Engineering". Encyclopedia Britannica. 18 (15 ed.). Chicago. pp. 563–563. Aerospace engineers put man on the Moon, developed the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station

An entry level aerospace engineer will have at a minimum a Bachelors degree in aerospace engineering or in mechanical engineering with a heavy concentration in aerospace theories. An entry level aerospace engineer will generally enter a company as a staff engineer focused on a specific portion of a project. Activities could include basic design, analysis, or testing.

As the engineer gains experience, he can earn more responsibility such as advanced design and analysis tasks, oversee personnel, or manage projects. Aerospace engineers with Masters or Doctorate degrees will be responsible for more advanced technological portions of projects.

Some of the disciplines used by aerospace engineers include:

1. Fluid Dynamics - The study of fluid flow, such as liquids, gases, or slurries
2. Aircraft Structures - The design and testing of flight structures
3. Control Systems - Development of the electronic systems that control flight
4. Astrodynamics - The behavior of structures and vehicles in space
5. Aerodynamics - The behavior of structures and vehicles in Earth's atmosphere
6. Material Sciences - The behavior of materials in different environments and loading conditions
7. Propulsion Systems - The design of rockets, jet engines, and other propulsion methods
8. Finite Element Analysis - The computer analysis of structures and systems by breaking a model down into small yet finite elements.