Environmental Impacts
Pros
Aerospace engineers have positively impacted the environment through involvment in the advancement of aircrafts. More efficient designs allow aircrafts, such as commercial airplanes faster and with less fuel consumption. Improvements in design are notable in propulsion, materials, avionics, and stability and control. An example of this, is the addition of adaptive wing trailing edges on the Boeing 737 in 2012, which has enabled better aerodynamic performance and thus reduced fuel emissions. Over the past 30 years, fuel efficiency has improved by 70+% due to evolution in aircraft technology. For example, a B787 SFO-JFK commercial jet airplane has an analagous efficiency to a 2010 Honda Accord (with three passengers) at 10 times the speed. Overall, less fuel consumption decreases the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere by the combustion of aircraft fuel. As a result, this diminishes the progression of climate change, sea level risings, and ecosystem destruction due to harmful gases in the environment. |
Cons
Aerospace engineers design larger commercial aircrafts for increased passenger air travel. By doing so, more raw materials are required in the manufacturing, maintenance, and daily use of these aircrafts. For example, resource extraction and production comes in the form of mining/smelting for metals, oil extraction for jet fuel materials, transportation of materials/fuel, and industrial plants for jet fuel production. Overall, an increase in aircraft size, increases the impacts that each of these processes have on the environment.
Mining/Smelting- releases sulfer dioxide into the atmosphere, which is responsible acic precipitation leading to the contamination of freshwater resources and elimination of nearby ecosystems through bioaccumulation. Oil Extraction- involves drilling for oil, which entails removal of vegetation cover/deforestation resulting in the endangerment of wildlife and the destruction of ecosystems Transportation- causes carbon dioxide emissions through the combustion of petroleum, which adds to the enhanced greenhouse effect. This is when electromagnetic radiation from the sun remains trapped in Earth's atmosphere due to an accumulation gases that act as a "solar blanket" around the Earth. Overall, this effect contributes to climate change and sea level risings. |
Societal Impacts
Pros
Technological improvements in propulsion, materials, avionics, and stability and controls have enabled aircraft to grow in size, carrying more cargo faster and over longer distances. (Britannica) This means cheaper and more efficient transport of both people and goods. Furthermore, this enables increased trade between countries allowing for increased rates of economic growth. Aerospace engineers also work on making aircraft safer for people to use, so that it can be a trusted means of transportation. Improvment of plane design allows for quiter turbines and less background noise to people around. For residences near airports, this markets less sleep disturbance and reduced loss in monetary housing value. Aerospace engineers will also making colonizing mars a possibility in order to ensure the survival of the human race and make humans an interplanetary species. Reducing the cost of space travel enough to allow for all individuals to start a new life on a new planet. Lead to advancments of terraforming Mars and creating a new suistanble ecosystem for people to live on. Aerospace is needed to launch satellites so that they can orbit Earth and provide communications technology to those on the ground. Examples of these include cellphones, Global Position Systems (GPS), and television and radio channels. All of which are used in everyday life by society. Aerospace engineers can improve these communications by improved positioning of satellites caught within Earth's orbit. Advancements in design are implemented in military air forces for improved national and international security. For example, silent aircraft initiatives as well as an advancement in radio-disrupting aircraft shapes, allow for the undetected flying of drones in war-torn countries. |
Cons
Increase of fuel burned from aircraft and space craft, leads to a surplus of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases cause an increase temperatures which may lead to rise in sea levels and loss of human homes in lower altitude areas. Emissions from planes are toxic and can be harmful to the human body. Aerospace leads to an increase in toxic emissions that can negatively impact public health through an increase in respiratory health issues. Polluted air quality increases the amount of harmful products humans breathe in everyday. As a result, inflammation in the lungs and bronchioles cause chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The inflammation is caused by increased mucus production due to contaminants in air quality. Many believe that spending money on space exploration is a waste of taxpayer funds, and that supporting space related endeavors should not be encouraged as there are many problems humans need to overcome on Earth first. In 2015, NASA alone had spent 18.010 billion dollars of US taxpayer money. (36) This money could be used to combat more relavent problems like global warming or a countries debt. Attempting such a complicated mission like sending humans to Mars has a high element of risk. By trying these missions, human lives are put at stake and threatened, as the possibility of failure is very high. |