 (lively music)
   (electronic music)
- [Voiceover] Aviation
has played a vital role
  in much of American
  and world history
  by moving people
  from place to place,
  delivering goods, bringing
  soldiers to and from battle,
  and exploring the universe.
  - vce Are the Wright
  brothers famous
   for pioneering
   flight in America?
 - [Voiceover] Yes, the Wright
 brothers' flying machine
   took off at the beginning
   of the 20th century.
  Now, we fly around the
  world giving little thought
to the ingenuity,
creativity, innovation,
   and engineering skill
   required to design a plane
  to do what it does.
   Aeronautics, quite simply,
   is the science of flight,
 which also involves the study,
 design, and manufacturing,
 or the techniques of operating
 aircraft and rocketry
 within the atmosphere.
Any vehicle that flies
through the air or space
   is considered an aircraft.
 This includes helicopters,
 airplanes, and space vehicles,
   such as the SpaceX Dragon,
  and the retired
  NASA space shuttles.
  Aeronautical engineers
  must study four basic areas
   in order to design planes
   and other flying machines.
   Aerodynamics, propulsion,
   materials and structure,
   and stability and control.
Aerodynamics is a branch
of physical science
   which deals with
   the motion of air
and the way it interacts
with moving objects.
   - [Voiceover] Is this the
   science that studies how
 air flows around the wings and
 other parts of an airplane?
   - [Voiceover] Yes, by
   studying the way air flows
  engineers design the wings,
  tail, and the main body,
  or fuselage, of a an
  airplane so that it
 will fly efficiently.
  Propulsion is the force that
  moves something forward.
  In aeronautics, the
  study of propulsion
  is what helps
  engineers determine
 the appropriate type of engine
 and the right amount of power
 required to create lift.
  Materials and
  structure technology
  is critical in the
  design and creation
  of vehicles that are strong
  enough to fly efficiently.
 - [Voiceover] Have scientists
 been finding lighter materials
to build airplanes with?
- [Voiceover] Yes, many airplane
parts are now made out of
 composite materials,
 such as carbon fiber,
   that are lightweight yet
   stronger than most metals.
 The last area,
 stability and control,
 is the study of how
 to control the speed,
  direction, altitude,
  and other aspects
that affect how a plane
flies and operates.
  Aeronautic engineers
  design the controls
 and cockpit that
 pilots use to correct
  and maintain the stability
  of the plane during flight.
The first widely used passenger
jet was the Boeing 707,
  a narrow-body, four-engine,
  long-range aircraft
  introduced in 1958.
 Not only did this plane
 revolutionize airline travel,
  it also laid the foundation
  for Boeing's steady growth
  in the jet airliner market.
 More recently, Boeing
 introduced the 787 Dreamliner,
   a spectacular achievement
   that truly represents
  the state of the
  art in aeronautics:
 improved aerodynamics,
 advances in engine technology,
  reduced maintenance
  requirements,
 and unmatched fuel efficiency
 resulting in exceptional
   environmental performance.
The airplane uses 20% less fuel
 than today's similarly
 sized airplanes.
- [Voiceover] What makes
the 787 so special?
   - [Voiceover] The key to
   the exceptional peformance
of the 787 Dreamliner
is found in a number of
 new technologies that were
 heavily researched, developed,
  and applied to the airplane.
 Modern systems architecture is
   at the heart of
   the 787's design.
 The team has
 incorporated airplane
   health monitoring systems
   that allow it to report
systems maintenance requirements
   to ground based
   computer systems.
New engines from
General Electric
   and Rolls Royce
   are used on a 787.
   Advances in engine
   technology are the biggest
  contributors to overall fuel
  efficiency improvements.
The new engines represent nearly
  a two generation
  jump in technology.
   New design and
   building processes
 of the 787 have added further
 efficiency improvements.
  For example, manufacturing
  a one-piece fuselage section
  has eliminated 1500
  aluminum sheets,
  and 40 to 50,000 fasteners.
  The Boeing 787
  makes greater use of
  composite materials
  such as carbon fiber
  in its airframe and
  primary structure
than any previous Boeing
commercial airplane.
  This approach offers
  weight savings
  on an average of
  20% compared to more
 conventional aluminum designs.
   Modern aircraft
   are traditionally
  built from aluminum
  and its alloys.
  However, when
  composite materials
 were recently
 certified as durable,
 they were introduced
 into the construction
 of passenger aircraft
 in small percentages.
  - [Voiceover] How
  much of the airplane
is made of carbon fiber?
- [Voiceover] The Boeing
787 uses a relatively
  high percentage, nearly
  50% of composite materials,
including carbon
fiber reinforced
  plastic in its construction.
 These materials have a higher
 strength to weight ratio,
 which adds to the
 airplane's durability,
and reduces its weight.
   In the highly
   tension-loaded environment
  of the fuselage, it was
  found that using composites
   greatly reduces
   maintenance due to
   fatigue when compared with
   an aluminum structure.
 This type of
 analysis has resulted
  in an increased use
  of titanium as well.
 Titanium use has been
 expanded on the 787
  to roughly 14% of
  the total airframe.
- [Voiceover] Titanium?
 Isn't that one of the elements
 on the periodic table?
  - [Voiceover] Yes, titanium,
  with atomic number 22,
   is the ninth most
   abundant element on Earth.
  It is a very strong
  metal, which is used
 in the manufacture of
 many types of alloys.
  Because of its corrosion
  resistance and low density,
  it is used in many aircraft
  and aerospace parts.
- [Voiceover] What
about space and rockets?
  - [Voiceover] Other exciting
  developments in aeronautics
 include Virgin Galactic
 SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo.
These are high altitude rockets
designed for suborbital flights
above the 100 kilometer
altitude mark.
 In 2004, SpaceShipOne
 became the first
  privately funded aircraft to
  complete manned spaceflight.
 That same year, it won
 the Ansari X PRIZE,
  a $10 million
  prize for the first
 non-government
 organization to launch
 a reusable manned
 spacecraft into space,
twice, within two weeks.
Launched from its
WhiteKnight mothership,
   while flying high
   above the ground,
  the rocket powered
  SpaceShipOne and its pilot,
  ascended just beyond
  the atmosphere,
  arced through space,
  but not into orbit,
   then glided safely
   back to Earth.
  The flight lasted 24
  minutes with three
   minutes of weightlessness.
 During its test
 program, SpaceShipOne
   set a number of important
   aeronautical firsts,
including first privately funded
   aircraft to exceed
   Mach 2 and Mach 3,
 first privately funded
 manned spacecraft
  to exceed the 100
  kilometer altitude,
  and first privately funded,
  reusable, manned spacecraft.
   Virgin Galactic has
   upgraded to SpaceShipTwo,
  helping to pioneer a new age
  of commercial space flight.
  - [Voiceover] Who's
  rocket is that?
- [Voiceover] On May 31st, 2012,
Space Exploration Technologies,
  also known as
  SpaceX, made history
   when its Dragon
   spacecraft became
  the first commercial
  vehicle in history
  to successfully dock at the
  International Space Station.
   Previously, only
   four governments,
   the United States,
   Russia, Japan,
 and the European Space
 Agency had achieved
this challenging technical feat.
  The Dragon is a
  reusable spacecraft
  developed by
  SpaceX, an American,
 private, space
 transportation company
based in Hawthorne, California.
  The vehicle was grappled by
  the station's robotic arm,
  and was then pulled
  in by Dragon's
  passive common
  berthing mechanism,
 successfully attaching itself
 to the orbiting laboratory.
All this was made
possible by aeronautical
   engineers and scientists.
   - [Voiceover] What kind of
   jobs are in aeronautics?
 - [Voiceover] Many different
 careers exist in aeronautics,
   such as, pilot, engineer,
   research scientist,
   materials specialist, and
   aeronautical technician.
   - [Voiceover] Jobs in
   aeronautics sound awesome!
- [Voiceover] Yes, they
can be very exciting.
Aeronautical engineers research
 and develop different
 types of aircraft.
Using advanced computer software
  they design new craft,
  create detailed schematics,
and conduct simulated test runs.
  Aeronautical engineers work
  in many different settings,
  including, military
  agencies, government
 air and space
 programs, and private
 aircraft manufacturing plants.
  Many aeronautical
  engineers specialize
by working with certain
types of aircraft,
 or particular internal
 flight systems.
   Some professionals design
   commercial jetliners,
 while others conceive
 plans for new
   helicopters and
   passenger planes.
A military aeronautical
engineer may
   develop manned or
   unmanned planes
  designed for combat,
  special operations,
 or recovery missions.
Regardless of specialty,
aeronautic engineers
  play a critical role
  in the aerospace
and aviation industries,
and will continue to
develop new technologies
for use in aviation, defense
systems, and space exploration.
   During the past 100 years,
   aeronautical pioneers have
   revolutionized our world
   and made air travel a safe
 and necessary means
 for the transportation
  of goods and people.
