Aerospace Engineering's Gifts to the World by Jack

Aerospace Engineering's Gifts to the World by Jack - December 2023 Scholarship Essay

Aerospace Engineering's Gifts to the World

Since the advent of aeronautics, the strive for improvement of its methods and understanding has evolved along with society. Over millennia, humanity has continuously reached higher and higher into the open skies, and quite recently, towards our nearest stars. Along the way, it has adapted to face the issues that have plagued the journey to taller heights. These contributions and developments have been invaluable to the evolution of aeronautics as a science. The benefits of these developments have extended farther than the field itself, with many of the revolutionary inventions and theories that have resulted from it providing for the improvement of human life. It is no doubt that the adaptations that led to the success of aerospace engineering as a field of study go hand-in-hand with the advancement of society.

The push towards aeronautics as a science first began with the invention and production of early kites in China around the fifth century BCE. These early inventors helped spread the understanding of capturing the power of the wind for human enjoyment. Fast-forwarding to 18th century France, where the Montgolfier brothers discovered and harnessed the power of lift through hot-air balloons. Moving on to the efforts of John Cayley in 1853, humans could achieve gliding flight though the use of a winged aircraft. Cayley's creation later led to the flight of the first powered airplane by the Wright Brothers in 1903, where it was now possible to propel mankind higher with the use of engines. Robert Goddard set the stage for the next phase of atmospheric exploration with his rendition of the liquid-fueled rocket. Developments and milestones never ceased to constantly evolve the study of aeronautics and the creation of aerospace engineering as a field of itself.

With all these great achievements, society has enjoyed many of the benefits from having an industry so bent on the constant development and invention to its improvement. Early kites and flying machines have helped humans understand the great sea that is Earth's atmosphere, and it has let us understand its complex nature. The higher and higher flights of hot-air balloons have allowed the understanding of the human body's effects in lower air pressures and the dangers of Hypoxia. The advancement of the airplane as it is known today has shrunk the world smaller, allowing week-long ocean voyages to be shortened to a matter of hours. And the development of rocket technology has allowed for the creation of artificial satellites to orbit earth, collecting information and allowing for humanity to see itself in a never-seen perspective.

These are just a few of the numerous examples of aerospace engineering leading to improvement of human life, and society as a whole. From its early beginnings as a hobby and pastime for people in ancient China, it has had a long and prosperous journey to eventually end up being the very field that will take humanity to other planets. Its long and continued improvements and advancements has led to discoveries and innovations that have directly given back to society. It is no wonder why this industry is so important for the development of society, technology and human life.