Customer Reviews

Understanding Space

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was unaware of this book until I needed it for a college course in Orbital Dynamics. This book is the most accessible that I've seen on the subject. It supplies an in-depth, yet understandable explanation, of spaceflight principles covering orbital mechanics, rocket propulsion, guidance, and reentry. The math is at a high-school senior or college freshman level but a motivated individual should be able to master most of the material. Make sure to work the chapter problems if you want a thorough understanding of the subject. If you want to REALLY understand the basic principles of spaceflight, this is THE book!

I am Aerospace Engineering student and found the book to be a very good introduction to many questions regarding space and space travel. While this book does not go into specifics, it is easy to read and understand (high school level).

Mr. Jerry Jon Seller's book, "Understanding Space" is an amazing textbook about the technical aspects of space. The text is well written, the diagrams are easily understood, and the "tech-factor" for space geeks is acceptably high. It is no wonder that the United States Air Force has recommended "Understanding Space" as its baseline text concerning Technical aspects of space flight.

For those afraid of "rocket-science" level math, the book is written at a very easy level, using algebra, trigonometry, and bits of calculus covered with a whole BUNCH of physics. It is an excellent text for technical classes, and also easily readable for non-technical space classes. I've personally referenced this book in *EVERY* space-related class I've taken (4 undergrad and a *whole* bunch of graduate classes) - if you buy it, you will use it, I guarantee.

The only downside to this text lies in the fault of its users, not the author or publisher. This book was written to be the introduction to the Space Technology Library, a list covering more advanced topics in space. That said, the text is written at a high-school/undergraduate level for math and physics; yet the USAF has committed its "Certified Space Professionals" to using the text at their advanced level "Space 200" course. If you're taking (or teaching) space-related classes, understand the level of information you're needing - there *are* other space technical books (some by the same publisher) that will cover these topics in more depth (i.e. harder math and physics).

Excellent introduction book with some of the best illustrations to help you visualize the concepts. It is written at the high-school senior/college freshman level, so don't expect it to teach you anything as a grad student in Astro. But, for the price, it's a pretty good desk reference even for the grad student.

It gets my highest recommendation for a basic introduction to the topic (expecially for the high-school senior).

The reader will need more than a passing familiarity with algebraic concepts, but this book is written in textbook format -- what the heck, it IS a textbook! If anyone ever planned to launch a satellite from their own backyard, this is the book that will guide them. Want to be an engineer-physicist? Want to be an astronaut? This is the book for you

The Air Force Academy has hit a grand slam with this book, and Embry-Riddle was wise to include it in its curriculum. This book is the equivalent of my coursework in 3rd Class Physics at West Point, but it has a decidedly aerospace slant to it that makes it an important piece for any person with a need to understand space. The illustrations are of superb quality and add to the learning experience of more visual learners unlike the Introduction to Astrodynamics book done by the Air Force Academy years earlier.

The book was for a class where we are studying rocketry and building a Rocket for the NASA USLI competition....This book is or has been used by NASA to train some of their employees. It reads very easily and is understand with little effort.

I got this book for a master's class at Embry Riddle. After reading it at work, others recognized the book from their masters and bachelors classes at other universities. This book is an absolute must have if you want to learn about space history, space exploration, space travel, orbits, space environment, spacecraft systems, and much much more. The reading is very easy and the book is heavy on the math side. I would say a college level understanding of algebra is helpful to understand the math equations. Each section has a review portion, reference page, and problem exercises. It's a great book to understand space.

I own an earlier edition of this book, which I bought after a friend and Air Force Academy graduate let me borrow his. Unless you are already a guru in all things space-related, there is probably something useful in this book.

It is a primer for the basics of orbit and attitude dynamics, mission designs, subsystems, launch and reentries, operations, as well as other topics. The math is all kept at the algebra level, which keeps it from discouraging readers who want to get concepts without getting tangled up in dense math.

Unlike many texts, this one is very well-illustrated, and written in a manner that actually makes it fun to read, including sidebars with descriptions of historical and current real world missions, as well as descriptions and diagrams of various current and future technology subsystems, including propulsion schemes. Few textbooks have ever held my interest as well as this one, and inspired me to seek out more detailed texts for some of the subjects.

Many times have I had to teach young new people the ropes, or to explain to outsiders asking me questions about something they aren't familiar with, and this book has always made it easier to explain things, especially with its ample illustrations.

If you are a professional in the field and have a stack of textbooks on the shelf by your desk, I recommend adding this one.

This book is really easy to read. The author has done a great job at presenting the history, the risks and the technologies that have allowed us to have missions in space. It provides a good understanding of issues that have to be resolved for a mission in space, such as near-zero gravity issues (problems such as outgassing), radiation (single event phenomena), heat transfer, etc. It also provides benefits of space missions, discusses different types of orbits, etc. Overall, this is a great book to give you a good understanding of space, space vehicles (i.e. satellites) and the issues encountered and the way we have or currently are addressing them as well as challenges for the future.