International Space Station:

The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular space station residing in low Earth orbit. It took a decade and 30+ missions to deliver and assemble. It is the result of unprecedented scientific and engineering collaboration among five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The station serves as research laboratory for many fields and has contributed to advances in environmental protection, medicine, and physics. A few fun facts:

• since it opened, ISS astronauts have conducted about 3,000 science experiments, so far!
• 241 individuals from 19 countries have visited the ISS.
• It has been continuously occupied since November 2000.
• It is larger than a six-bedroom house.
• Eight miles of wire connects the electrical power system aboard the space station.

Needless to say, mechanical engineers have made great progress in improving the efficiency of these machines that have allowed buildings all over the world to be able to rise further into the sky. (There is a limit to how many flights of stairs people are willing to climb!)

Explore the history:

• Twenty Breakthroughs from Twenty Years of Research on the ISS
• History and Timeline of the ISS
• ISS Facts and Figures

Aerospace engineers typically are employed in the aerospace product and parts industry, although their skills are becoming increasingly valuable in other fields. For example, in the motor vehicles manufacturing industry, aerospace engineers design vehicles that have lower air resistance and, thus, increased fuel efficiency.

In terms of global employment, most aerospace engineers work in the areas of national defense, or related projects or the design of civilian aircraft and space vehicles. Research-and-development projects, especially related to improving the safety, fuel efficiency, and environmental impact of flight, are a large focus of aerospace engineers.

In addition to government agencies, several companies are emerging to provide access to space for consumers. These areas are likely to expand as confidence in consumer safety increases.  Plus, many companies are finding other uses for unmanned aerial vehicles, such as for finding lost hikers, identifying forest fires and helping to provide foods and medicines to populations experiencing emergencies.

Some aerospace engineers also work in the work of education, helping to support the next generation, and the expertise of aerospace engineers is needed in most industries to provide input on legal or technical matters.

The following is just a sample of some companies, outside of government, so you can explore the type of projects worked on globally:

• Airbus Group
• Beechcraft
• Boeing
• Cessna
• Dassault Aviation
• Northrop Grumman
• Piaggio
• SpaceX
• Virgin Galactic

For most engineering careers:

• a bachelor’s degree is required
• a master’s degree may be recommended for those specializing or interested in management
• students may also start with a related associate degree and then move on to a bachelor’s when they have settled on a degree path.
• many students are required to participate in a co-op program while at university to gain real world experience in their chosen field.
• education doesn’t really stop…engineers need to stay current as technology changes and materials and processes improve over time.
• many professional societies offer certificates and coursework to support continuing education for their members.

Undergraduate coursework would include aircraft and spacecraft propulsion, aircraft design, gas dynamics, solid mechanics, materials and structures, computational thinking, automatic control, aerodynamics, fluid mechanics, and others.

It is important to select an engineering degree that has been accredited to meet basic standards. Find out more and browse TryEngineering’s global database of accredited engineering and computing programs.