Space Vehicle Design

I used this book in a space vehicle design class. If you intend to use this text to gain a broad understanding of the basic design considerations for space vehicles, I believe you will be satisfied. If, however, you would like to go into depth regarding rocket propulsion, orbital mechanics, structural/vibration analysis, reentry, etc. look for a text which is devoted to those topics. This text does cover such topics as well as others but is lacking in detail. There are some good examples throughout each chapter and problems at the end of each chapter.

To an engineering reader, the book gives some appreciation of why it is so expensive in money and time to build a new spacecraft. The text gives a systems-level view of the different components such a craft is likely to need. A propulsion system. Attitude control. Navigation. Communications. All of these must work for the craft to be viable. The chapters go into the numerous constraints often encountered. Mass is the most critical. Very costly to launch these spacecrafts. And the lifting capacity of whatever launch vehicle is chosen can be one of the major constraints. Power for the various systems is minimal. Perhaps solar panels can be used. Or a radio isotope thermal generator. But solar panels aren't typically viable for missions to the outer solar system. Whatever is chosen, you have only a trickle of power to work with. Then how to communicate with Earth? The gain on the craft's antenna for transmission and reception is limited. Amazing that any spacecrafts are successful.