Aerospace engineers are responsible for some of the most incredible technologies of our age, from 747s to scramjets to GPS and smart missile technology. Aerospace engineers work with aircraft and astronautic engineers work with spacecraft. Whether working for businesses, academia or the government, aerospace engineers apply their knowledge of physics, engineering, computer science, and various other disciplines to create new and improve upon existing technologies.

Aerospace engineers examine, analyze, design, produce, and occasionally install components that make up aircraft, spacecraft, high-altitude vehicles, and high-altitude delivery systems (missiles). Satisfaction with the romantic image of rocket-building can buoy many engineers through the highly anonymous work environments that many of them face. Individuals don’t assemble rockets; teams do, dozens of teams working in highly supervised coordination. An aerospace engineer plays some part on one of the teams, spending more of her/his time (roughly 70 percent) in a lab, at a computer, and assembling reports than doing anything else.