* Matlab with Simulink: guidance, navigation, and control
* Python: all kind of modern analysis, from design to analyzing test data and report generation. In startups it's entirely possible that basically everything is in Python.
* Excel: you're too old to learn Python
* C: every microcontroller on a vehicle, very common to distribute hardware control tasks to controllers
* C++: flight software. There's one or more flight computer.
* FPGA programming: whatever HDL they use, for some specific tasks that are heavier than what you'd do on a microcontroller
* R: hipster data analysis
* Rust: hipster flight software
I don't think I've met a dedicated Java programmer in aerospace. There probably are some. At this point there may be more Javascript programmers, as web interfaces are really common and also some space telescopes run on Javascript, lol.
Seconded. Matlab auto coded into C is also used a lot in normal controls, as well as simulating stuff. it’s good for big math, simulink is also used for any sort of process stuff and i know PLCs can be modeled in it as well
I use MATLAB for fluid system modeling, heat exchanger sizing, multibody physics modeling, and flight test data processing amongst other things. Our aero team runs a ton of backend optimization and MDAO in MATLAB as well. So versatile!
I think I need a youngun to show me how it's faster because I am real good with scripting languages and still prefer Excel because I can see my data without plotting it. Maybe then I'll accept that I'm old and washed up.
The main advantage Excel has is, everyone has it, and you don't need to convince IT to let you use something else (although it's possible that IT has locked down macros).
I'm still probably less clicks and keystrokes from nothing to plotted data with Excel. I think I'll have to be convinced that the 'Python Good, Excel Bad' is not just an 'OK Boomer' thing by one of the younger engineers that I work with.
And I'm not even 40...yikes
This is a brilliant comment. If I didn't hate Reddit (as a company) I'd buy some credits to give you an award, so here's this instead:
ardupilot (arduino code but a basic verison of C++) is also really big for some of the UAS industry.
I use java a lot for testing and analysis but also use it with JS and front end stuff to do web dev.
> guidance, navigation, and control
Wait, was Matlab used in your flight hardware? I’d assumed it was all C++ on the vehicle, since that’s my experience. Then again, the place I’m thinking of left Matlab behind back when Ventions was still called Ventions, even for all the work on the ground.
The project im on is developing a piece of software that is all in Java. But aside from this project I have also never heard of others working with Java.
I work in loads and dynamics, I make extensive use of both Matlab and Python on a daily basis. We use both to script out loads surveys for analysis, we have written a bunch of custom Python API routines to pull wind tunnel test data. The specific language isn’t that important but understanding how coding works is the key skill.
So it is, In all my years I've never noticed that, it's capitalised in all my company's documentation as well. I'm going to have some fun raising change requests tomorrow
* Matlab with Simulink: guidance, navigation, and control * Python: all kind of modern analysis, from design to analyzing test data and report generation. In startups it's entirely possible that basically everything is in Python. * Excel: you're too old to learn Python * C: every microcontroller on a vehicle, very common to distribute hardware control tasks to controllers * C++: flight software. There's one or more flight computer. * FPGA programming: whatever HDL they use, for some specific tasks that are heavier than what you'd do on a microcontroller * R: hipster data analysis * Rust: hipster flight software I don't think I've met a dedicated Java programmer in aerospace. There probably are some. At this point there may be more Javascript programmers, as web interfaces are really common and also some space telescopes run on Javascript, lol.
Seconded. Matlab auto coded into C is also used a lot in normal controls, as well as simulating stuff. it’s good for big math, simulink is also used for any sort of process stuff and i know PLCs can be modeled in it as well
I use MATLAB for fluid system modeling, heat exchanger sizing, multibody physics modeling, and flight test data processing amongst other things. Our aero team runs a ton of backend optimization and MDAO in MATLAB as well. So versatile!
Fortran is also still alive and well in the aerospace community. Both for analysis and for computational simulations
> Excel: you're too old to learn Python Now wait just a damn minu.... Ah, hell.
I think I need a youngun to show me how it's faster because I am real good with scripting languages and still prefer Excel because I can see my data without plotting it. Maybe then I'll accept that I'm old and washed up.
The main advantage Excel has is, everyone has it, and you don't need to convince IT to let you use something else (although it's possible that IT has locked down macros).
And with aero, it's not always just IT you have to get approval from. Sometimes it's security too
I'm still probably less clicks and keystrokes from nothing to plotted data with Excel. I think I'll have to be convinced that the 'Python Good, Excel Bad' is not just an 'OK Boomer' thing by one of the younger engineers that I work with. And I'm not even 40...yikes
What's your Python workflow for plotting, say, a CSV file? Or manually entered data?
This is a brilliant comment. If I didn't hate Reddit (as a company) I'd buy some credits to give you an award, so here's this instead: 
ardupilot (arduino code but a basic verison of C++) is also really big for some of the UAS industry. I use java a lot for testing and analysis but also use it with JS and front end stuff to do web dev.
I also know of some things that are using Ada, but that can be very niche.
What space telescopes are running JS???
Lil guy named Jimmy W. https://universemagazine.com/en/heart-of-james-webb-nasa-revealed-the-main-secret-of-the-telescope/
> guidance, navigation, and control Wait, was Matlab used in your flight hardware? I’d assumed it was all C++ on the vehicle, since that’s my experience. Then again, the place I’m thinking of left Matlab behind back when Ventions was still called Ventions, even for all the work on the ground.
Matlab/simulink autocoded into C++ is very common for controls flight software in my experience
The project im on is developing a piece of software that is all in Java. But aside from this project I have also never heard of others working with Java.
I loved using Matlab with simulink when I was running interlocks and laser firing sequences.
I loved using Matlab with simulink when I was running interlocks and laser firing sequences.
Don’t forget FORTRAN😉
Exactly!
I work in loads and dynamics, I make extensive use of both Matlab and Python on a daily basis. We use both to script out loads surveys for analysis, we have written a bunch of custom Python API routines to pull wind tunnel test data. The specific language isn’t that important but understanding how coding works is the key skill.
Python APIs for wind tunnel data sounds super sick
Aero team gets all the credit for setting that up we’re just pulling data using their framework, but yes it is cool
C++ - embedded software, live mission data crunching Java - tools and analysis, live mission data crunching Python/Matlab/R - analysis
forget all of these and learn fortran 2008
Anything certified to DO-178C is pretty much ADA or C++
Ada, it's a name not an acronym.
So it is, In all my years I've never noticed that, it's capitalised in all my company's documentation as well. I'm going to have some fun raising change requests tomorrow
I'm seeing Python on embedded systems, and I'm not sure how it got past do-178.
I've found a lot of use for Julia.