Aerospace technology has grown out of the problems of design, construction, and operation of vehicles that maneuver above the Earth's surface- vehicles ranging from ground-effect machines and helicopters to aircraft and spacecraft. Design of such vehicles has always been challenging, not only because of the requirement that they operate in a hostile environment, but also because of the high premium placed on light weight, high efficiency and great reliability. These same requirements apply not only to future spacecraft and high performance transport aircraft, but also to the next generation of ground transportation, such as high-speed trains, over-water transportation, and automated motor vehicles.

Aerospace engineering is a field where state-of-the-art technologies are applied every day. It is an exciting profession with outstanding career opportunities in which physical sciences, mathematics and computers are combined in the design of air and space vehicle systems and components to achieve high performance with limited size and weight. This requires aerospace engineers to constantly develop and apply the most advanced technologies.