Astronautics: The Physics of Space Flight

by Ulrich Walter

This introductory text covers all the key concepts, relationships, and ideas behind spaceflight and is the perfect companion for students pursuing courses on or related to astronautics. As a crew member of the STS-55 Space Shuttle mission and a full professor of astronautics at the Technical University of Munich, Ulrich Walter is an acknowledged expert in the field. This book is based on his extensive teaching and work with students, and the text is backed up by numerous examples drawn from his own experience. With its end-of-chapter examples and problems, this work is suitable for graduate level or even undergraduate courses in spaceflight, as well as for professionals working in the space industry. This third edition includes substantial revisions of several sections to extend their coverage. These include both theoretical extensions such as the study of relative motion in near-circular orbits, and more practical matters such as additional details about jet-engine and general rocket performance. New sections address regularized equations of orbital motion and their algebraic solutions and also state vector propagation; two new chapters are devoted to orbit geometry and orbit determination and to thermal radiation physics and modelling.

Genres: Space, Science

828 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Dimitri Kurashvili · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book!

If you want to understand the first principles of rocket flight this is the best book so far. There were many small “discoveries” I’ve made while reading it, but the most important one was at the very start. Mr. Ulrich derives rocket thrust equation there. And it finally became clear to me how m-dot and pressure terms in the equation can be properly explained, and not just assumed as in many other books.

This book is not for beginners but consider reading it if you care about good foundation in this field.

[Pedro Enguita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marterpiece of scientific divulgation, covering almost every single aspect of physics of spaceflight. The lecture was arid many times, full of demostrations that are of little use, and pages and pages of formulas that require detailed attention in order to get the meaning of them. Although the book has many useful remarks that help the reader to extract the meaning in all this endless ocean of mathematics, a little more emphasis would help the non-expert reader (as myself).

[Bader Alazmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one of the most comprehensive modern references on the physics of spaceflight and orbital mechanics. Written by Professor Ulrich Walter—former Space Shuttle astronaut (STS-55) and current professor at the Technical University of Munich—it combines academic rigor with first-hand practical experience, offering a rare blend of theoretical depth and real aerospace application.The book systematically covers all major physical principles underlying spaceflight, from rocket propulsion to atmospheric entry.