Definitions
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering related to the development, design, and testing of spacecrafts and aircrafts. Aerospace engineering consists of two major branches, which are aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Aerospace engineers work in multiple fields including technology, science, and space exploration. More specifically, they work on products and devices that include military fighter jets, helicopters, commercial airplanes, missiles, rockets, and more, and they typically work in the product and parts sector for these devices.
Chemical engineering is the discipline of engineering that consists of the chemical production and manufacturing of devices through chemical processes. Chemical engineers have very strong chemistry backgrounds that they apply to the fields of law, education, publishing, financing, and medicine. They are capable of working with food processing techniques, producing fertilizers, constructing synthetic fibers, developing drugs, and refining petroleum products.
Industrial engineering is an engineering sector that is concerned with finding productive ways to employ the basic components of production. Industrial engineers can work in manufacturing industries, consulting services, healthcare, and communications, and they combine management goals with operational performance in their work. In particular, industrial engineers develop management control systems, design production planning, and improve or design the physical aspects of goods and services.
Mechanical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with designing, analyzing, developing, manufacturing, and maintaining mechanical systems such as electric generators, combustion engines, steam and gas turbines, and smaller appliances including refrigerators and air-conditioner systems. Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest branches of engineering, and mechanical engineers can work in multiple fields, as they have to be very versatile.
Summary
Although aerospace, chemical, industrial, and mechanical engineering seem very different in their fields of study, they have the potential to overlap and work together to accomplish a common task. For our given project that we completed this week, these four branches all had an effective purpose and were needed for different parts of the carbon dioxide capture device and the rocket. In a real-world situation with similar guidelines to our project, chemical engineers would most likely deal with the design of the carbon dioxide capture device, while mechanical and industrial engineers may work on the production and manufacture of this device. Similarly, aerospace engineers would specifically work on the design and manufacture of the rocket, while mechanical and industrial engineers may also help out to improve its manufacture and production. Through this example, it is shown how separate fields of engineering work together to improve products and their designs to ensure that each device is the best that it can be.