Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with
the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping
branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics
engineering is similar, but deals with the electronics side of aerospace
engineering.
"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".
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