The operating temperatures of aircraft and spacecraft very greatly. They range from very cold, −100𝑜𝐶 (−148𝑜𝐹),  to very hot, over 1600𝑜𝐶 (2912𝑜𝐹). Yet aircraft and spacecraft have to function perfectly under all these conditions.

How does this affect our material and structural design?

In this MOOC, we consistently use SI (metric) units. However, we are very aware that you may not be familiar with some of these units.

In SI units, degrees Celsius is used as the unit for temperature. It was created by determining when water freezes, which was set as 0𝑜𝐶, and when water boils, which was set at 100𝑜𝐶.

If you want to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, you can do so using the following formula:

conversely,

Where possible, we will try to mention both temperatures.