Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications, Second Edition (Space Technology Library, Volume 12) [Hardcover]

Wayne D. McClain (Adapter), D.A. Vallado (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0792369033 | ISBN-13: 978-0792369035 | Publication Date: June 28, 2001 | Edition: 2nd

Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications is rapidly becoming the standard astrodynamics reference for those involved in the business of spaceflight. What sets this book apart is that nearly all of the theoretical mathematics is followed by discussions of practical applications implemented in tested software routines. For example, the book includes a compendium of algorithms that allow students and professionals to determine orbits with high precision using a PC. Without a doubt, when an astrodynamics problem arises in the future, it will become standard practice for engineers to keep this volume close at hand and `look it up in Vallado'. While the first edition was an exceptionally useful and popular book throughout the community, there are a number of reasons why the second edition will be even more so. There are many reworked examples and derivations. Newly introduced topics include ground illumination calculations, Moon rise and set, and a listing of relevant Internet sites. There is an improved and expanded discussion of coordinate systems, orbit determination, and differential correction. Perhaps most important is that all of the software routines described in the book are now available for free in FORTRAN, PASCAL, and C. This makes the second edition an even more valuable text and superb reference.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The problems posed at the end of each chapter span a useful range of difficulty, appropriate for use in a senior or graduate level course. Given the book's organization and content, I would recommend it for use as a textbook or a reference. --Robert G. Melton, Pennsylvania State University

Vallado is an excellent book on the "real world" use of astrodynamics in space missions. A must have reference for anyone involved in the development, deployment, and operations of space vehicles. --David B. Spencer, Associate Editor, AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

This book contains a large collection of information pertaining to operational systems and qualitative insights gleaned from recent applications. The integration of these into a treatment of traditional development of Keplerian motion, perturbed motion, and orbital determination represents a significant accomplishment --John L. Junkins, Texas A&M --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

David Vallado is currently a Senior Research Astrodynamicist with Analytical Graphics, Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He holds a BS degree in Astrodynamics Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academyand an MS from Air Force Institute of Technology. He alos holds an MS in Systems Management from USC.He is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. His Air Force experience includes: Stage 1 Project Manager for MX missile,SAC Headquarters Analysis Division, U.S. Air Force instructor, Air Force Research Laboratory Scientist, and Headquarters U.S. Space Command Analysis Office. He has also worked as a principal engineer with Raytheon in Denver, Colorado. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 980 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 2nd edition (June 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792369033
• ISBN-13: 978-0792369035
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,850,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Admirable survey, April 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications (Paperback)

This is a detailed text covering a broad collection of the most relevant topics, primarily aimed at engineers and engineering students practicing astrodynamic theory and orbit determination. It properly emphasizes that modern astrodynamics is now practiced on the computer, combining numerical methods with classical celestial mechanics to provide dozens of algorithms suitable for machine solution. It excels on two fronts: 1) it provides much generic "pseudo-code" (computer recipes) for writing subprograms, and 2) it touches on everything from Keplerian motion to estimation theory to atmospheric modeling for drag perturbations. Because it covers so much in under 1000 pages, the author does not fully derive all the algorithms. However, there is a fifteen page appendix of additional references, and the author's disarming writing style makes the text very approachable to the student. It is well illustrated with excellent diagrams and numerous tables, and much of the notation (equations and symbols) is standardized with other textbooks in this field.

Being a 1st edition, it has a few mistakes. There is a couple of noticeable equation typos and some numerical errors in a few of the many examples (the programmer will quickly discover these). There is probably undue emphasis on some minor topics, and likewise a few important concepts are sometimes briefly mentioned without clarity. Being so broad in scope, the reader is sometimes required to go from chapter to chapter to get the big picture or gather all the details. While this may be distracting at times, most of the needed information is there - few astrodynamics textbooks can claim to be as complete.

An engineer or computer programmer who needs to solve problems in this field will immediately discover that this title serves to fill a large void in the academic literature on non-relativistic astrodynamics. Those wanting a purer treatise of fundamental theory might find a text on analytical celestial mechanics or dynamical astronomy will help supplement this text for self-study.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good introduction to the topic!, July 22, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications (Paperback)

For my work I needed to get up to speed on astrodynamics calculations very quickly. This book proved invaluable in that respect. I particularly appreciated the algorithms and examples that the author presented in addition to the usual derivations. The algorithms, in particular, proved very helpful in writing computer programs for my modeling and simulation work. I think that the material is readily understandable by upper level undergraduates in engineering, math, or physics. I also found the author's style enjoyable to read. There are numerous references for further study. I would recommed this book quite highly.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Notes on Vallado's book, May 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications (Hardcover)

This is a book I would definitely recommend for those interested in the practical application of basic Astrodynamics. The only real problem is you have to double check the math since there are a fairly large number of errors in the computations. I especially like the discussions comparing and contrasting different methods and algorithms.