Aerospace engineers can work extremely close with astronauts, but their work is very different from each other. 

Aerospace engineers help develop technologies that are used in both aircraft and spacecraft.  They must know about our Earth's atmosphere, and the forces of gravity and drag.  

The conditions of an atmosphere affect an aircraft's and a spacecraft's flight.  Knowing about atmospheric conditions, gravity, and drag are important for all aerospace engineers to know! 

Fifth graders' first design challenge in their aerospace engineering unit was based on NASA's LCROSS mission from 2010.  Using every day materials and a zipline made of fishline, their goal was to develop a technology that could hit an exact target at the end it.

What was so special about this target?  Well, this spot was identified as a possible location where water could be found in the form of ice crystals or water vapor on the moon.  Is it possible that one day, humans could inhabit the earth?  Great work 5th grade!

Paulo is a young boy living in Brazil.  His mother is an aerospace engineer and he discovers that her expertise can help him solve a problem related to gravity.

With the knowledge he gains about drag, a force that all aerospace engineers come to know well, he must develop a technology to save something from falling and breaking!

Key Vocabulary:  aerospace engineer, gravity, drag, force, parachute, suspension lines, canopy, rocket, body tube, fins, nose cone, lift, controlled experiment, criteria, constraints, Newton's Laws of Motion, space, atmosphere, aircraft, and spacecraft.