Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Aerospace Engineering

A semester course on how aircraft and spacecraft work and how engineers design them: the atmosphere, lift and drag, control and stability, jet engines and rockets, orbits and reentry, materials and testing. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Flight and the atmosphere

    Explain milestones of flight and the structure of the atmosphere, and compute temperatures, weights and Mach speeds in SI units.

    • From the first flight to the space age
    • The atmosphere airplanes fly in
    • Units and the engineering design process
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: The four forces of flight

    Analyze the four forces in steady flight and compute lift and drag with the lift and drag equations, including the effect of doubling speed.

    • Lift, weight, thrust and drag
    • How wings make lift
    • Drag and how to reduce it
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Aircraft design and control

    Explain how control surfaces move an airplane about three axes, locate a center of gravity, and compute aspect ratio and glide distance.

    • Anatomy of an airplane
    • Three axes and stability
    • Wing shape and gliding
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Propulsion

    Compare propellers, turbofans and rockets, and compute thrust, bypass ratio, thrust-to-weight ratio and delta-v.

    • Thrust and propellers
    • Jet engines
    • Rockets
    about 2.2 h

  5. Module 5: Orbits and spaceflight

    Explain orbits as free fall, apply Kepler's third law to orbital periods, and analyze the energy and hazards of reentry and space.

    • What an orbit is
    • Kepler's laws and orbital periods
    • Reentry and the space environment
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Building, testing and flying safely

    Evaluate materials by specific strength, apply factors of safety and redundancy, and assess emerging aerospace technologies.

    • Materials and structures
    • Testing and safety
    • Careers and the next generation of flight
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 5 · What an orbit is

Worked example: the space station's orbit

  1. The International Space Station orbits about 420 km above Earth, whose radius is about 6,371 km.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle SchoolAlso for Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of aerospace engineering: you can describe the atmosphere aircraft fly in, balance the four forces and compute lift and drag, explain how control surfaces and the center of gravity keep an airplane stable, compare propellers, turbofans and rockets with thrust and delta-v calculations, explain orbits and reentry, and judge materials, safety factors and redundancy. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who like airplanes, rockets and space and want the physics and engineering behind them, are previewing a school engineering course, or are weighing an engineering degree; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. The math is algebra with a calculator.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 145 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the High School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the high school Aerospace Engineering title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. NASA Glenn Research Center, Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics (lift, drag, propulsion and the atmosphere): grc.nasa.gov
  2. Federal Aviation Administration, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (free): faa.gov
  3. NASA, Basics of Space Flight and orbital mechanics resources: science.nasa.gov
  4. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Wright brothers and the history of flight: airandspace.si.edu
  5. NASA Orbital Debris Program Office: orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov

Aerospace Engineering is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester course but does not replace a school course, award credit or substitute for supervised lab work. Model rockets, motors and drones need an adult present, certified parts and the applicable safety code and rules. Example numbers in worked examples are labeled as examples. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.