Last revised: July 2009

Aerospace Engineering

Scope: This guide was created to help students and faculty find information resources in the field of Aerospace Engineering. For further assistance, e-mail the subject specialist Jim Miller at jmiller2(@umd.edu).

REFERENCE WORKS

The following resources may be helpful for looking up quick facts, definitions, and basic principles of aerospace engineering.

In Print

• The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary (2004)
  EPSL Reference : TL509.G88 2004
  Dictionary of technical terms and acronyms used in aerospace engineering.
• The Cambridge Dictionary of Space Technology (2001)
  EPSL Reference : TL788.W54 2001
  Dictionary of space science and technology covering subject areas such as spaceflight, propulsion, orbits, and astronomy.
• Dictionary of Aviation (2005)
  EPSL Reference : TL509.C76 2005
  Definitions for over 5,000 terms used by air traffic controllers, pilots, cabin crews, ground staff, and other airline personnel.
• An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation (2005)
  EPSL Reference : TL509.K78 2005
  Dictionary containing over 7,400 terms and 2,400 illustrations covering all segments of aviation.
• The Standard Handbook for Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineers (2003)
  EPSL Reference : TL509.S664 2003
  Standard reference for explanations, data, and diagrams related covering a variety of aspects of aerospace engineering such as engineering mathematics and principles, propulsion, aerodynamics, and avionics.
• The Avionics Handbook (2001)
  EPSL Reference : TL695.A8163 2001
  Handbook on the design, construction, and testing of modern military and civil aircraft avionics systems.
• Encyclopedia of Technical Aviation (2003)
  EPSL Reference : TL509.B75 2003
  Encyclopedia offering coverage of a wide range of technical aviation topics such as aerodynamics, engines, atmospheric science, and type qualifications.
• Encyclopedia of Flight (2002)
  EPSL Reference : TL509.E56 2002
  Encyclopedia of topics related to the history and science of human flight. Provides broad coverage of all categories of flying craft, both civil and military, including gliders, dirigibles, biplanes, rockets, missiles, and satellites.
• World Aviation Directory & Aerospace Database (2003)
  EPSL Reference : TL512.A63
  Directory of contact information for companies, people, and products/services in the aviation/aerospace industry.

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• Encyclopedia of Space Science
  A comprehensive reference covering various aspects of astronomy and aerospace engineering.
• Encyclopedia Astronautica
  Free online encyclopedia on the history of spaceflight.
• Aerofiles
  Aerofiles is a comprehensive guide detailing the history of military, civil, and commercial aviation in North America from 1903 to 2003.
• Aviation Reference Desk
  Provides a comprehensive list of aviation and aerospace links for industry professionals, pilots and enthusiasts. Topics include news, jobs, suppliers, organizations, engineering, statistics, airports, aircraft and more.
• Basics of Space Flight
  The Basics of Space Flight is an online tutorial developed by Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and NASA that covers a broad range of concepts associated with deep space missions.
• eFunda (Engineering Fundamentals)
  eFunda provides an array of reference resources useful for engineers such as unit conversion, equations, online calculators, and material data.
• Science & Engineering Encyclopedia
  Science and engineering descriptions, equations, conversions, calculators and material data. Organized by A to Z, subject and interlinked.
• Selective Guide to Literature on Aerospace Engineering (PDF file)
  A bibliography of information resources in aerospace engineering. Includes guides to literature, indexes and abstracts, Internet resources, encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, directories, specifications and standards, government documents, statistical sources, selected periodicals, and selected conference proceedings.
• Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing System (ASIAS)
  Provides FAA aviation safety data.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
  Contains the full-text of the 32-volume Encyclopaedia Britannica, Webster's Third New International Dictionary Unabridged, and the Britannica Book of the Year.

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LOCATING BOOKS

To locate books at the library you'll need use the UM Catalog. Often, the best way to find books on a particular topic is to browse by subject. To browse catalog subject headings select "Subject beginning with..." as your search type and enter your search term(s). Thus, for example, a subject search for "aircraft gas-turbines" would return something like the following:

Click on the subject heading to view the list of books classified by that heading.
Click here for further instructions on searching the UM Catalog.

Another way of locating books on a particular topic may be to browse the collections directly. Books on similar topics are likely to be grouped together on the shelves. Browsing the shelves requires some familiarity with the Library of Congress Classification system. In general, books on aerospace engineering are classified under call numbers beginning with TL500, but there may be relevant books in related classifications. Here's a list of classes that mat be of interest:

Click here for an overview of the EPSL floor plan and a tutorial on reading call numbers.

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Occasionally, you may find it necessary to search for resources beyond those held by our libraries. The best tool for locating books and journals beyond holdings of the University of Maryland and its consortium libraries is WorldCat. WorldCat contains records for materials found in research libraries worldwide. However, in order to obtain materials found outside the university system you will need to request an interlibrary loan.

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LOCATING ARTICLES

To locate journals in your field of interest you can conduct a Journal Search in the UM catalog or browse the E-Journal collections in Research Port. To find precise articles on a topic, however, you will want to search some of the following electronic databases accessible through Research Port.

Core Aerospace Engineering Databases

The following databases are the primary electronic resources available for locating journal articles in Aerospace Engineering.

• Aerospace Database
  Indexes journals, conference papers, reports, including those published by AIAA, IEEE, ASME, and more.

• AIAA Meeting Papers
  Full text access to AIAA papers from 1988 - present.

• IEEE Xplore
  Provides full-text access to IEEE transactions, journals, magazines and conference proceedings published since 1988 and all current IEEE Standards.

• NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
  Database of NASA technical reports and scientific literature.

• NTIS
  http://www.ntis.gov/search/index.aspx
  Abstracts of government-sponsored research and reports from federal agencies. (Coverage: 1964-present).

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While not explicitly devoted to aerospace, the following engineering and technology databases may be useful for locating articles on related topics:

• Aluminum Industry Abstracts
  Abstracts of international technical literature on aluminum production, applications, industry, metallurgy, ores, and testing.

• Compendex
  A comprehensive interdisciplinary engineering database with engineering journals, conference materials, Physics Abstracts, Electrical & Electronics Abstracts and Computer & Control Abstracts.

• Engineered Materials
  Journal articles, technical reports, conference papers and more on properties and applications of polymers, ceramics and composites.

• History of Science, Technology and Medicine
  This database is the definitive international bibliography for the history of science, technology, and medicine and their influence on culture.

• Inspec Archive, 1868-1968

• METADEX
  Abstracts from journal articles, conference papers, patents and more on metals, metallurgy and materials science.

• Safety Science and Risk
  Covers public health, safety, industrial hygiene, environmental and occupational risks and hazards.

• Science Citation Index
  A multidisciplinary index covering the journal literature of the sciences. It indexes more than 5,700 major journals across 164 scientific disciplines. Virtually the only index for finding what papers have cited other papers.

• Science Direct
  Provides abstracts and indexing for more than 1800 journals. Full text of more than 800 journals is available to USMAI institutions.

• USPTO Database
  Bibliographic and full-text content of U.S. patents from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office web database.

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The following are a list of general, multidisciplinary databases that may be helpful for your research:

• Academic Search Premier
  Provides abstracts and indexing for over 7,000 journals. Full text of articles for over 4,000 scholarly publications, including more than 3,100 peer-reviewed publications.

• Conference Papers
  Conference Papers provides citations to papers and poster sessions presented at major scientific meetings around the world.

• Digital Dissertations
  This database is the authoritative source for information about and full text of doctoral dissertations and master's theses. The database represents the work of authors from over 1,000 graduate schools and universities.

• Ingenta
  Search or browse more than 20,000 publications from the Ingenta database. Some full text is available. Coverage spans the humanities, sciences, and social sciences.

• WorldCat
  Union catalog of books, journals, media, and archival materials in libraries worldwide.

Periodicals

To locate journals in your field of study conduct a Journal Search in the UM catalog or browse the E-Journal collections in Research Port. Click here for a select list of journals in aerospace engineering.

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WEB RESOURCES

The following are some aerospace related resources available for free on the web:

Search Engines and Gateways

• BUBL Directory: Aerospace
• Intute: Science, Engineering & Technology
• Guide to Internet Resources (by the National Air and Space Museum Library)
• INFOMINE Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
• Scirus for Scientific Information
• Google Scholar

• Contrails: Aerospace History from the Wright Air Development Center
• Defense Technical Information Center's Scientific and Technical Resources
• DOE Information Bridge
• NASA Tech Reports Server's NACA Digital Library (Click on NACA Collection)

• NASA Astrophysics Data System Online
• NTSB Aviation Accident Database

• Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, National Research Council (ASEB).
• IEEE - Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society (AESS)
• Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME)
• Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Flight Safety Foundation (FSA)
• General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• Royal Aeronautical Society (RAES)
• Society of Automotive Engineers(SAE)
• Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE)

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DEPARTMENTAL PAGES

The following links provide information for staying abreast of events in your department.

• A. James Clark School of Engineering
• Department of Aerospace Engineering Home Page
• Graduate Program in Aerospace Engineering
• Departmental Research

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