Glossary of aerospace engineering

Updated on Dec 17, 2024

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This glossary of aerospace engineering terms pertains specifically to aerospace engineering and its sub-disciplines. For a broad overview of engineering, see glossary of engineering.

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
References

A

Ablative laser propulsion —

Absolute value —

Acceleration —

Action —

Advanced Space Vision System —

Aeroacoustics —

Aerobrake —

Aerobraking —

Aerocapture —

Aerodynamics —

Aeroelasticity —

Aeronautical abbreviations —

Aeronautics —

Aerospace engineering —

Aerospike engine —

Aerostat —

Aft-crossing trajectory —

Aileron —

Air-augmented rocket —

Aircraft —

Aircraft flight control systems —

Aircraft flight mechanics —

Airfoil —

Airlock —

Airship —

Alcubierre drive —

Angle of attack —

Angular momentum —

Angular velocity —

Antimatter rocket —

Apsis —

Arcjet rocket —

Areal velocity —

ARP4761 —

Aspect ratio (wing) —

Astrodynamics —

Atmospheric reentry —

Attitude control —

Avionics —

B

Balloon —

Ballute —

Beam-powered propulsion —

Bernoulli's equation —

Bi-elliptic transfer —

Big dumb booster —

Bipropellant rocket —

Bleed air —

Booster rocket —

Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program —

Buoyancy —

Bussard ramjet —

–

C

Canard —

Centennial challenges —

Center of gravity —

Center of mass —

Center of pressure —

Chord —

Collimated light —

Compressibility —

Computational fluid dynamics —

Computing —

Control engineering —

Conservation of momentum —

Crew Exploration Vehicle —

Critical mach —

Centrifugal compressor —

Constant speed drive —

Corrected flow —

D

De Laval nozzle —

Deflection —

Delta-v —

Delta-v budget —

Density —

Derivative —

Digital Datcom —

Displacement (vector) —

DO-178B —

DO-254 —

Drag (physics) —

Drag coefficient —

Drag equation —

Dual mode propulsion rocket —

Delta wing—

E

Earth's atmosphere —

Electrostatic ion thruster —

Elliptic partial differential equation —

Energy —

Engineering —

Engineering economics —

Enstrophy —

Equation of motion —

Euler angles —

European Space Agency —

Expander cycle (rocket) —

F

Field Emission Electric Propulsion —

Fixed-wing aircraft —

Flight control surfaces —

Flight control system (aircraft) —

Flight control system (helicopter) —

Flight dynamics —

Floatstick —

Fluid —

Fluid dynamics —

Fluid mechanics —

Fluid statics —

Force —

Freefall —

Future Air Navigation System —

Flying wing —

G

Gas-generator cycle (rocket) —

Geostationary orbit —

Geosynchronous orbit—

Glide ratio —

GPS —

Gravitational constant —

Gravitational slingshot —

Gravity —

H

Hall effect thruster —

Heat shield —

Helicopter —

Hohmann transfer orbit —

Hybrid rocket —

Hydrodynamics —

Hydrostatics —

Hyperbolic partial differential equation —

Hypersonic —

HyShot —

I

Impulse —

Instrument landing system —

Integral —

Internal combustion —

Interplanetary Transport Network —

Interplanetary travel —

Interstellar travel —

Ion thruster —

ISRO

J

Jet engine —

K

Kepler's laws of planetary motion —

Kessler syndrome —

Kestrel rocket engine —

Kinetic energy —

Kite —

Kutta condition —

Kutta–Joukowski theorem —

L

Landing —

Landing gear —

Lagrangian —

Lagrangian point —

Laser broom —

Laser Camera System —

Latus rectum —

Launch window —

Law of universal gravitation —

Leading edge —

Lift —

Lift coefficient —

Lightcraft —

Lighter than air —

Liquid air cycle engine —

Liquid fuels —

Liquid rocket propellants —

Lithobraking —

Loiter —

Low Earth orbit —

Lunar space elevator —

M

Mach number —

Magnetic sail —

Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster —

Mass —

Mass driver —

Mechanics of fluids —

Membrane mirror —

Metre per second —

Microwave landing system —

Mini-magnetospheric plasma propulsion —

Moment of inertia —

Momentum —

Momentum wheel —

Monopropellant rocket —

Motion —

Multistage rocket —

N

Nanotechnology —

NASA —

Navier-Stokes equations —

Newton (unit) —

Newton's laws of motion —

Nose cone design —

Nozzle —

O

Orbit —

Orbit phasing —

Orbiter Boom Sensor System —

Orbital elements —

Orbital inclination change —

Orbital maneuver —

Orbital node —

Orbital period —

Orbital stationkeeping —

Osculating orbit —

P

Parallel axes rule —

Parasitic drag —

Parawing —

Perpendicular axes rule —

Physics - Physical science

Planetary orbit —

Plasma (physics) —

Plug nozzle —

Pogo oscillation —

Prandtl-Glauert singularity —

Precession —

Pressure —

Pressure altitude —

Pressure-fed engine —

Propeller —

Proper orbital elements —

Pulsed inductive thruster —

Pulsed plasma thruster —

Propulsion —

R

Radar —

Railgun —

Ram accelerator —

Ramjet —

Reaction control system —

Redshift rocket —

Reentry —

Reflection —

Relativistic rocket —

Remote Manipulator System —

Resistojet rocket —

Reusable launch system —

Reynolds number —

RL-10 (rocket engine) —

Rocket —

Rocket engine nozzle —

Rocket fuel —

Rocket launch —

Rudder —

S

SABRE —

Satellite —

Saturn (rocket family) —

Scalar (physics) —

Schlieren —

Schlieren photography —

Scramjet —

Second moment of area —

Shock wave —

SI —

Single-stage to orbit —

Skyhook (structure) —

Stream function —

Streamline —

Solar panel —

Solar sail —

Solar thermal rocket —

Solid of revolution —

Solid rocket —

Sound barrier —

Space activity suit —

Space elevator —

Space fountain —

Space plane —

Space Shuttle —

Space Shuttle external tank —

Space Shuttle Main Engine —

Space station —

Space suit —

Space technology —

Space transport —

Spacecraft —

Spacecraft design —

Spacecraft propulsion —

Special relativity —

Specific impulse —

Speed of sound —

Staged combustion cycle (rocket) —

Subsonic —

Supersonic —

Surface of revolution —

Sweep theory —

T

Tait–Bryan rotations —

Temperature —

Terminal velocity —

Test target —

Tether propulsion —

Thermal protection system —

Thermodynamics —

Thrust —

Thruster —

Torricelli's equation —

Trajectory —

Trailing edge —

Trans Lunar Injection —

Transonic —

Transverse wave —

Tripropellant rocket —

Tsiolkovsky rocket equation —

Turbomachinery —

Two stage to orbit —

U

UFO

V

V-2 rocket —

Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket —

Velocity —

Viscometer —

Viscosity —

Vortex generator —

W

Wave drag —

Weight —

Weight function —

Wind tunnel —

Wing —

Woodward effect —

Wright Flyer —

Wright Glider of 1902 —

References

Glossary of aerospace engineering Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

References