"Aeronautical engineering" was the original term for the field. As flight technology advanced to include vehicles operating in outer space, the broader term "aerospace engineering" has come into use. Aerospace engineering, particularly the astronautics branch, is often colloquially referred to as "rocket science".
Flight vehicles are subjected to demanding conditions such as those caused by changes in atmospheric pressure and temperature, with structural loads applied upon vehicle components. Consequently, they are usually the products of various technological and engineering disciplines including [aerodynamics], [Air propulsion|], avionics, materials science, structural analysis and manufacturing. The interaction between these technologies is known as aerospace engineering. Because of the complexity and number of disciplines involved, aerospace engineering is carried out by teams of engineers, each having their own specialized area of expertise.
Acoustics - The science of waves, subcategories include acoustic propagation, biomedical acoustics and nonlinear acoustics
Design methodology - Topics that pertain to design and creation, including critical thinking methods, sustainability and articulation.
Distillation - The process of purification of liquids
Fields, waves & electromagnetics - The relationship between magnetic and electrical fields that provides the foundational theory of electrical engineering
Instrumentation - Topics relating to devices used for measurement, such as oscilloscopes and probes
Kinetics & catalysis - Various topics of energy related to applications in physics and chemistry
Lasers, lighting & electrooptics - Topics relating to electric lighting, lasers and photonics
Mathematics - Mathematics such as calculus, algebra, and numerical analysis are all essential components of engineering
Measurement - Related to instrumentation, measurements of various quantities has many real world applications
Mixing - The combination of multiple materials to form a homogeneous solution
Particle technology & fluidization - Sciences dealing with particulates and fluids
Process development - Disciplines related to the optimization of various engineering and scientific processes
Reaction engineering - Chemistry related topics dealing with the engineering of various reactions
Reliability - The ability of a system or component to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time
Scientific disciplines - Various non-engineering scientific disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology and astronomy
Separations - Topics in chemistry related to the separation of materials into distinct substances
Systems engineering and theory - An interdisciplinary method to engineering which has practical uses in complex projects which span multiple fields
Thermodynamics - a physical science that studies that effects on material bodies of transfer of heat and work
Transport and fluid mechanics - Topics concerning the mass and energy exchange between systems
