American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering

Aerospace engineering

Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...

. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society
American Rocket Society
The American Rocket Society began its existence on April 4, 1930, under the name of the American Interplanetary Society. It was founded by science fiction writers G. Edward Pendray, David Lasser, Laurence Manning and others. The members originally conducted their own rocket experiments in New York...

(ARS), founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society (AIS), and the Institute of Aerospace Sciences (IAS), founded in 1932 as the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences.

The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation

International Astronautical Federation

International Astronautical Federation , the world's foremost space advocacy organisation, is based in Paris. It was founded in 1951 as a non-governmental organization. It has 206 members from 58 countries across the world. They are drawn from space agencies, industry, professional associations,...

and the International Council on the Aeronautical Sciences. , the AIAA has more than 35,000 members. Despite its name, the society has members among aerospace professionals worldwide, although the majority are American and/or live in the United States. Some AIAA seminars and conventions are restricted to U.S. citizens, due to security

National security

National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...

issues.

The AIAA is split to seven regions, North-East, South-East, Central, South-Central, Mid-West, West, and International. The regions are subdivided into Sections, usually based in major cities. Universities with programs in aerospace engineering or related fields may form Student Branches, which are overseen and in part funded by their parent Section.

Another aspect of the AIAA is their standards writing activities. In the past, AIAA standards for aeronautics have been incorporated into broader standards and public laws. These standards help transition innovative aeronautical ideas to everyday usage.

The AIAA currently publishes several technical journals. The AIAA Journal
AIAA Journal
The AIAA Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published monthly by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. It covers all areas of aeronautics and astronautics, particularly with respect to new theoretical and experimental developments. The current editor-in-chief is Peretz...

is published on a monthly basis and serves as the flagship journal of the society. The other journals are published bi-monthly and have more specialized topics:

Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication
Journal of Aircraft
Journal of Energy
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics
Journal of Hydronautics
Journal of Propulsion and Power
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets
Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer

A monthly general interest magazine called Aerospace America is sent to all members. The AIAA also produces several series of technical books ranging from education to progress in advanced research topics.

The AIAA Foundation

The AIAA formed the AIAA Foundation to devote more attention and more resources to the education of both practicing and future aerospace professionals.

Specifically, the Foundation: funds programs including assistance, research, and professional societies that recognize the outstanding individual contributions of educators and students provides additional educational services to aerospace professionals. The AIAA Foundation funds numerous scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate scholarships range from $2,000 to $2,500. Graduate scholarships are $5,000 or $10,000.

Student branches

The AIAA has recognized that the U.S. aerospace industry is facing a rapidly aging workforce, and recently has begun pushing to recruit new students to the field. Student Branches tend to be on the front lines of this task, with many Sections offering funding or incentives for their Student Branches to increase membership. The AIAA currently has over 6,500 student members.

AIAA currently has over 160 active student branches, including 12 foreign student branches, with a total active membership of over 6,500 students worldwide.

The student branches also host annual conferences in each of its nine branches. AIAA Student Conference site All the conferences vary in character from one another, but essentially their purpose is to provide a forum for AIAA Student Members at colleges and universities within the region to present technical papers in public competition. Cash prizes of USD$500, USD$300 and USD$250 are awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes in the undergraduate and graduate (masters candidates only) categories. The conferences serve to indoctrinate students into the practice of presenting technical work at AIAA meetings.

The fundamental objective of AIAA Regional Student Conferences is to provide student members with an educational experience that prepares them for their future as practicing aerospace engineers. Although regional conferences vary in character, students attend and present technical work as they would at a professional AIAA meeting. In addition, they establish professional relationships, learn from others, and hone their communication skills. Their work, both written and oral, is evaluated by professional members serving as judges, with the primary intent of providing substantial feedback on the quality of their work. The highest scoring papers are also recognized with awards and prize money.

Any AIAA member, student or professional, is invited to participate in a conference. Only undergraduate and Masters’ level student papers are accepted for competition. Ph.D. student papers are NOT eligible to compete for awards or prize money. Their work may be presented for review only; it would be more appropriate for them to present at AIAA professional technical meetings.

Technical committees

The AIAA has formed a number of Technical Committees on topics of interest to its members. These committees are formed under major topic headings which identify their common interests. Additionally the Technical Committees develop and manage their own conferences and other events to promote, educate, or professionally develop skills and interest in their topic of interest. The technical committees listed by the Institute are:

Adaptive Structures Technical Committee
Aeroacoustics Technical Committee
Aeroacoustics Technical Committee
Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technical Committee
Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Technical Committee
Aerospace Power Systems Technical Committee
Air Breathing Propulsion Systems Integration Technical Committee
Air Transportation Systems Technical Committee
Aircraft Design Technical Committee
Aircraft Operations Technical Committee
Applied Aerodynamics Technical Committee
Astrodynamics Technical Committee
Atmospheric and Space Environments Technical Committee
Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Technical Committee
Balloon Systems Technical Committee
Communications Systems Technical Committee
Computer Systems Technical Committee
Design Engineering Technical Committee
Digital Avionics Technical Committee
Economics Technical Committee
Electric Propulsion Technical Committee
Energetic Components & Systems Technical Committee
Flight Testing Technical Committee
Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee
Gas Turbine Engines Technical Committee
General Aviation Technical Committee
Ground Testing Technical Committee
Guidance, Navigation & Control Technical Committee
High Speed Air Breathing Propulsion Technical Committee
History Technical Committee
Hybrid Rockets Technical Committee
Information and Command & Control Systems Technical Committee
Intelligent Systems Technical Committee
Legal Aspects Aero & Astro Technical Committee
Life Sciences & Systems Technical Committee
Lighter-than-Air Systems Technical Committee
Liquid Propulsion Technical Committee
Management Technical Committee
Materials Technical Committee
Meshing, Visualization, and Computational Environments Technical Committee
Microgravity & Space Processes
Missile Systems Technical Committee
Modeling & Simulation Technical Committee
Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Technical Committee
Non-Deterministic Approaches Technical Committee
Nuclear & Future Flight Propulsion Technical Committee
Plasmadynamics & Lasers Technical Committee
Product Support Technical Committee
Propellants & Combustion Technical Committee
Sensor Systems Technical Committee
Society & Aerospace Tech Technical Committee
Software Technical Committee
Solid Rockets Technical Committee
Space Architecture Technical Committee
Space Automation & Robotics Technical Committee
Space Colonization Technical Committee
Space Logistics Technical Committee
Space Operations & Support Technical Committee
Space Resources Technical Committee
Space Systems Technical Committee
Space Tethers Technical Committee
Space Transportation Technical Committee
Structural Dynamics Technical Committee
Structures Technical Committee
Survivability Technical Committee
Systems Engineering Technical Committee
Terrestrial Energy Systems Technical Committee
Thermophysics Technical Committee
V/STOL Aircraft Systems Technical Committee
Weapon System Effectiveness Technical Committee

Space Colonization Technical Committee

The AIAA's Space Colonization Technical Committee was formed under the major group of Space and Missile systems.
Since its formation it has issued two papers: SCTC Statement on Robust Implementation of Lunar Settlements and SCTC Recommendations for Robust Implementation of Lunar Settlements.

Honors and awards

The AIAA recognizes persons who have contributed significantly to the fields of Aeronautics and/or Astronautics via issuing a variety of Honors and Awards. These include special memberships grades, such as:

Senior Member
Associate Fellow
Fellow
Honorary Fellow

Goddard Astronautics Award

AIAA's highest award for astronautics. It was endowed by
Mrs. Robert Goddard's widow in commemoration of her husband's pioneering efforts that led to the development of the fields of astronautics.

Reed Aeronautics Award

AIAA's highest award for aeronautical science and engineering. It is named for Dr.
Sylvanus A. Reed pioneer of the use of metal in propellor blades.

Lectureships

Dryden Lectureship in Research, named for Dr. Hugh L. Dryden
Durand Lectureship, named for William F. Durand
William F. Durand
William F. Durand was a United States naval officer and pioneer mechanical engineer. He contributed significantly to the development of aircraft propellers...
von Kármán Lectureship in Astronautics, named for Theodore von Kármán
Theodore von Karman
Theodore von Kármán was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics. He is responsible for many key advances in aerodynamics, notably his work on supersonic and hypersonic airflow characterization...
Wright Brothers Lectureship in Aeronautics, named for Orville and Wilbur Wright

Missile Systems Award

The AIAA Missile Systems Award may be presented in two categories, Technical and Management. The Technical Award is presented for a significant accomplishment in developing or using technology that is required for missile systems. The candidate must have demonstrated expertise in aerodynamics, guidance, thermophysics, navigation, control, propulsion, or other fundamental technical disciplines that has led to substantial improvement in missile systems. The Technical and Management award are presently alternatively at the biannual Missile Sciences Conference. Thus, the awards are presented once every four years. The 2008 Technical Award winner was Ernest Ohlmeyer. The award is administred by the AIAA Missile Systems Technical Committee.

Conferences

As of 2010, the AIAA will be taking over the organisation of the annual International Conference on Environmental Systems

International Conference on Environmental Systems

The International Conference on Environmental Systems, or ICES , is an annual technical conference focusing on human spaceflight technology and space human factors...

, a technical conference which focuses on manned space systems. Prior to this, the conference was organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers.