Spacecraft Systems Engineering, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

by Peter W. Fortescue (Editor), John P. W. Stark (Editor) "Spacecraft operation is characterized by its remoteness from the Earth and thus the loss of the Earth's protective shield, namely the atmosphere..." (more)
Key Phrases: nutation mode, hybrid spacecraft, momentum bias, John Wiley, Second Edition, Sons Ltd (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...an excellent textbook. All universities and colleges should have a copy..." (Materials World, 11 November 2003) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
The material in this book is essential for engineers studying and working in the field of spacecraft design. Its emphasis is on the bus rather than the payload. The working of spacecraft systems of various types are described—mechanical, electrical, propulsion, thermal, control, etc., both on-board and ground-based—together with essential disciplines which ensure that they work reliably and in harmony with each other. The scene is set by a description of the operating environments of the spacecraft, and of the fundamental dynamic behaviour that governs its trajectory and its orientation. This is then translated into options that meet specific mission objectives that are set by the payload. This second edition is an update of the first, and includes two extra chapters. The first is on Mechanisms, and addresses the problems posed by their requirement for extreme reliability and longevity in the harsh environment of space—and some solutions. The second is on the subject of Systems Engineering, and it includes examples of applications to different types of mission.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 2 edition (August 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471952206
• ISBN-13: 978-0471952206
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,652,028 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Overall, April 9, 2001

By	Amy E. Comer "aec20" (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having taken a spacecraft course that utilized Fortescue and Stark as its primary text, I can say that I thought it was a horrible choice.

While the bulk of the material is an excellent overview of the topic, introducing subject matter in all areas (attitude control, propulsion, orbit manuevers etc.), the theoretical proof in the text leave much to be desired.

The text offers virtually no examples of the math it introduces, and thus, makes it very diffcult to apply any of the information that it presents. It is well developed for almost liberal arts type reading, but I did not feel it served very well as a science and engineering text.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introductory book, October 1, 2007

By	O. Valdes Solorz (Belgium) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Spacecraft Systems Engineering 3rd Edition (Paperback)

This is an excellent introductory book to Space Systems Engineering. You'll manage to get an overall idea of the elements that compose a spacecraft. However, I think that one of the previous reviews (the lady who used the book as a text book in a course) is quite right. I don't think it's deep enough for a University course, but if you're reading it independently (as I did) I'm sure you'll find it useful. I'm an Engineer willing to turn my career into space and it gave me good ideas how my expertise could be used in this field. So, if you're a professional who wants to get into this field or even a fan with a good sciences background (Math and Physics, mainly), this book is for you.

18 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spacecraft Systems Engineering, oh how helpful it is, March 29, 2000

By	cory stewart (not Moscow,Russia; LaGrange,IN, USA) - See all my reviews

I am about fifteen and I am very interested in engineering, so I bought this book. I will tell you that this has tought me so much about engineering and the importance of math. It contains equations for everything from life support systems to propulsion systems. I would reccomend this for anyone interested in working in the field of spacecraft engineering or just has 70 bucks to spend on an interesting insight into what it takes to build a spacecraft. I have talked to some engineers and they told me that this book will get you on your way to a carrer in this field. It covers all systems and in great detail even if you want to build your own minicraft(science fair, worked too. Well that is all.