The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of
aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the
International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences. In 2015, it had more than 30,000 members among aerospace professionals worldwide (a majority are American and/or live in the United States).
History
The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the
American Rocket Society
The American Rocket Society (ARS) began its existence on , under the name of the American Interplanetary Society. It was founded by science fiction writers G. Edward Pendray, David Lasser, Laurence Manning, Nathan Schachner, and others. Pendra ...
(ARS), founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society (AIS), and the Institute of the Aerospace Sciences (IAS), founded in 1932 as the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences. Paul Johnston was the first executive director of the organization. Jim Harford took his seat after 18 months. The newly-formed structure gathered 47 technical committees and one broad technical publication, the ''AIAA Journal''. The ''AIAA Student Journal'' was also launched in 1963. The merger also led to the sale of the organizations' former headquarter buildings, and the relocation in the Sperry Rand Building.
In 1967, the Technical Committee on Space and Atmospheric Science launched a study to capture the opinion of its members in California on the
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
phenomenon.
In April 2017,
John Langford, CEO of
Aurora Flight Sciences
Aurora Flight Sciences is an American aviation and aeronautics research subsidiary of Boeing which primarily specializes in the design and construction of special-purpose Unmanned aerial vehicles. Aurora has been established for 20+ years and th ...
, was elected President of the AIAA.
Activities
Journals
As a major activity, AIAA currently publishes several technical journals. The ''
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 experim ...
'' is published on a monthly basis and serves as the flagship journal of the society. In January 2015 the ''
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics'' became the second AIAA journal published on a monthly basis. The other journals are published bi-monthly and have more specialized topics:
* ''Journal of Air Transportation'' (Starting in 2016)
* ''Journal of Aerospace Information Systems'' (formerly ''Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication'')
* ''Journal of Aircraft''
* ''Journal of Energy'' (published from 1977 to 1983)
* ''
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics''
* ''Journal of Hydronautics'' (published from 1967 to 1980)
* ''
Journal of Propulsion and Power''
* ''
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets'' (Starting in 1964)
* ''Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer''
AIAA's flagship magazine ''Aerospace America'' is distributed monthly to all members, and is published online in digital format. AIAA also produces several series of technical books ranging from education to progress in advanced research topics.
Competitions
AIAA annually holds
design competitions and
Design/Build/Fly
Design/Build/Fly, or DBF, is a radio-controlled aircraft competition sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Cessna Aircraft Company, and Raytheon Missile Systems. The Office of Naval Research was also a sponsor ...
competitions to provide a real-world design experience for engineering students, both undergraduate and graduate, by giving them the opportunity to validate their analytic studies.
Conferences
AIAA hosts many conferences and smaller events throughout the year. The largest of those is the AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition ("AIAA SciTech"). Others include AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition ("AIAA Aviation"), AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum and Exposition ("AIAA P&E"), and AIAA Space and Astronautics Forum and Exposition ("AIAA Space").
The AIAA Foundation
AIAA currently has over 6,500 student members in 160 active student branches, including 12 foreign student branches. The student branches host annual conferences.
The AIAA Foundation is devoted to the education of both practicing and future 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.
Awards and lectureships delivered
Awards
* Goddard Astronautics Award: AIAA's highest award for astronautics, endowed by Esther Kisk-Goddard in commemoration of her husband
Robert Goddard
Robert Hutchings Goddard (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945) was an American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket. Goddard successfully laun ...
'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, named for Dr.
Sylvanus Albert Reed
Sylvanus Albert Reed (8 April 1854 – 1 October 1935) was an American aerospace engineer who developed the modern metal aircraft propeller.
Early life and career
Reed Graduated from Columbia University in 1874. He worked as an engineer special ...
, pioneer of the use of metal in propeller blades.
* Holt Ashley Award for Aeroelasticity: Given every four years for those who have contributed significantly to the area of
aeroelasticity
Aeroelasticity is the branch of physics and engineering studying the interactions between the inertial, elastic, and aerodynamic forces occurring while an elastic body is exposed to a fluid flow. The study of aeroelasticity may be broadly classi ...
, named after famous aeroelastician Prof.
Holt Ashley
Holt Ashley (January 10, 1923May 9, 2006) was an American aeronautical engineer notable for his seminal research of aeroelasticity.[MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...](_blank)
and
Stanford.
* Missile Systems Award: 2 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 Technical and Management award are presently alternatively at the biannual Missile Sciences Conference. Thus, the awards are presented once every four years.
* Wyld Propulsion Award: Presented annually to honor "outstanding achievement in the development or application of rocket propulsion systems", named after
James Hart Wyld
James Hart Wyld (September 10, 1912 – December 3, 1954) was an American engineer and rocket scientist.
James Hart Wild was born on September 10, 1912 in New York City. Recognizing him as a child prodigy, his parents hired private tutors and sen ...
.
Lectureships
* Dryden Lectureship in Research, named for
Dr. Hugh L. Dryden
* Durand Lectureship, named for
William F. Durand
William Frederick Durand (March 5, 1859 – August 9, 1958) was a United States naval officer and pioneer mechanical engineer. He contributed significantly to the development of aircraft propellers. He was the first civilian chair of the National ...
* von Kármán Lectureship in Astronautics, named for
Theodore von Kármán
Theodore von Kármán ( hu, ( szőllőskislaki) Kármán Tódor ; born Tivadar Mihály Kármán; 11 May 18816 May 1963) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronaut ...
* Wright Brothers Lectureship in Aeronautics, named for
Orville and Wilbur Wright
See also
*
International Astronautical Federation
*
National Association of Rocketry
The National Association of Rocketry (NAR) is a non-profit tax-exempt scientific organization dedicated to consumer safety, youth education, and the advancement of technology in the hobby of sport rocketry in the United States. Founded in 1957, t ...
*
SpaceOps
SpaceOps (also referred to as the International Committee on Technical Interchange for Space Mission Operations and Ground Data Systems) is an international committee organisation formed in 1992 to "promote and maintain an international community ...
*
Tripoli Rocketry Association
The Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA) is an international organization and one of the two major organizing bodies for high power rocketry in the United States.
History
Tripoli Rocketry Association was founded in 1964 in the Pittsburgh, Pennsy ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Institute Of Aeronautics And Astronautics
1963 establishments in the United States
Aerospace engineering organizations
American engineering organizations
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Organizations established in 1963
Professional associations based in the United States