Introduction to Orbital Mechanics

Introduction to Orbital Mechanics: A Practical Approach for Engineers presents all the essential elements of orbital mechanics, with a treatment that is direct and progressive. Suitable for use as in either a 14-week semester or a 10-week academic quarter, this textbook is an ideal introduction for students because it provides a thorough overview of the underlying fundamentals while still remaining concise and approachable in its coverage. The topics addressed include a historical overview of orbital mechanics and the essential physical foundations of orbital motion (the 2-body problem first, with multi-body problems introduced later in the text). Orbital motion is developed in both 2- and 3-dimensions, and the time problem is addressed from both mathematical and geometric perspectives. Orbital maneuvers and interplanetary trajectories and planetary encounters are presented. Methods for orbit determination are surveyed, with any needed detailed derivations provided in an appendix. The fundamentals of rockets and spacecraft propulsion are also introduced. Finally, there will be discussion of practical considerations including aerodynamic drag and launch dynamics. Example problems are included throughout each chapter in the book, detailed derivations are included in the appendices for reference, and end of chapter problems reinforce student understanding.