Aerospace

This article is about the field of research and industry; for the corporation, see The Aerospace Corporation

Aerospace comprises air and space travel, manufacturing and associated research. Aerospace is a very diverse industry, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications.

Aerospace is not the same as airspace, which is a term used to describe the physical air space directly above a location on the ground.

Overview

In most industrial countries, the aerospace industry is a cooperation of public and private industries. For example, several countries have a space program under the command of the government, such as NASA in the United States, ESA in Europe, the Canadian Space Agency in Canada, Indian Space Research Organization in India, RKA in Russia, China National Space Administration in China and Iranian Space Agency in Iran.

Along with these public space programs, many companies produce technical tools and components such as spaceships and satellites. Some known companies involved in space programs include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, EADS and Boeing. These companies are also involved in other areas of aerospace such as the construction of aircraft. Many countries have air transport companies, such as Air France and Air India.

History

The field of aerospace began with the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903, by the Wright brothers. From there, aerospace has grown to be one of the most exciting, diverse, and fast paced fields of today. From the first wood-and-cloth plane of Wilbur and Orville Wright to the first trip to the moon on Apollo 11 to the new and exciting aircraft being developed by companies like Boeing, Airbus, and Bombardier, aerospace has come a long way in a little over a century.

Aerospace Manufacturing

Aerospace manufacturing is an industry that produces "aircraft, guided missiles, space vehicles, aircraft engines, propulsion units, and related parts," according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site. Most of the industry is geared toward governmental work. In the United States, the Department of Defense and NASA are the two biggest consumers of aerospace technology and products. The BLS reported that the aerospace industry employed 444,000 wage and salary jobs in 2004. Most of those jobs were in Washington and California.

As of June 2005, the top-performing aerospace companies, as ranked by Aviation Week & Space Technology, were:# United Technologies Corporation# General Dynamics Corp.# L-3 Communications# Honeywell International Inc.# Parker Hannifin# Computer Sciences Corp.# Thales Group# Lockheed Martin Corp.# Northrop Grumman Corp.# Boeing

See also

* Aeronautics
* Astronautics
* Aerospace engineering
* Atmospheric reentry
* General aviation
* Space exploration
* Spacecraft

External links

* National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - U.S.
* European Space Agency (ESA) - E.U.
* Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) - Japan
*BLS site on aerospace industry
*Aerospace Industries Association
*American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
*Federal Aviation Administration
*The British Library - finding information on the aerospace industry
* Aerospace Manufacturing Solutions
* Iranian Aerospace Industries Organization