Interplanetary Flight (Paperback)

by Arthur C. Clarke (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Berkley (February 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425064484
• ISBN-13: 978-0425064481
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,059,804 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic 1950's exposition of space technology., June 23, 1999

By	Wm. A. Wheaton (Altadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews

To my mind this book is the single best moderately advanced reference on rockets, orbital mechanics, and space technology. Although it dates from about 1950, the physical principles it lays out have not changed. Rather, the predictions it made have largely been fulfilled. Because it is a very small book, it covers the essentials everyone with the necessary mathematical knowledge should know.

The book is at a level to be understood by one who has had a first-year college course in calculus and physics. Much of the mathematical detail is contained in an appendix, so that the remainder may be appreciated by a wider audience. I was able to read the whole in my sophomore year in high school, but I had to work pretty hard; in fact, I would say I learned calculus and elementary mechanics mostly from this book.

The final chapter addresses the question of why space travel is a profoundly important human goal. I recommend it to anyone, skeptic or true believer. In my youth, it inspired my own desire to learn to write well.

This book has been mostly out of print, unfortunately. A reprinting seems to have been issued in 1985, so readers may be able to find copies of that.