The Aerospace Engineering Department
of the United States Naval Academy
Department Overview
Midshipmen at USNA select their majors during the
spring of their Plebe year. Following that selection, all of the Aerospace
Engineering students take the same courses during their sophomore year, but at
the start of their Junior year, the students may choose one of two specific tracks of study
in either Aeronautics or
Astronautics. Those students who select
"aero" study topics including aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, and flight vehicle performance.
Students in the "astro" track focus their studies
on the space environment, astrodynamics, spacecraft systems, and spacecraft
attitude dynamics and control. Both tracks conclude with a culminating design course
where Midshipmen apply their engineering knowledge to the design of an aero
or space flight vehicle to emphasize the hands-on
aspects of conceiving, designing, building, and operating flight vehicles.
The department faculty includes both civilian and military professors from a variety of backgrounds. The Naval Academy's aerospace laboratory facilities are some of the most advanced and extensive in the country and include structures labs, propulsion and rotor labs, simulation labs, subsonic and supersonic wind tunnels, computer labs, and the Satellite Ground Station (http://usna.edu/Users/aero/bruninga/pcsat2.html).
The Naval Academy prepares all midshipmen to become
professional military officers in the Navy and Marine Corps. Upon commissioning, there is ample
opportunity for students to apply their skills and background in aerospace
engineering. These skills are demonstrated when the graduates are faced with
everyday technical problems in areas such as flight testing, aircraft and space
vehicle design, propulsion tailoring and weapons systems integration.
Graduates from the aerospace engineering major are also fully prepared to undertake postgraduate education programs in engineering disciplines at the Naval Postgraduate School, Air Force Institute of Technology, or even civilian universities. Naval officers with advanced degrees in the Aero/Astro fields may be assigned to billets involved with the research, development, testing, and evaluation of Navy/Marine Corps aircraft or spacecraft projects. Organizations with technically challenging billets include the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Research Laboratory, Test Pilot School, the Navy Network and Space Operations Command, the United States Space Command, the Navy Space Support Activity and, of course, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) where more than a dozen graduates of the Naval Academy's Aerospace Engineering major have gone on to become astronauts.