Spacecraft Mission Design, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Practitioner's Reference
Review: This is an excellent reference for aerospace engineer's to have on their desk. It summarizes all the necessary equations used in the design of spacecraft missions. It is not a "deep" book in the sense that there are minimal derivations. It is not a "tutorial" book, either, for anyone new to the field. For a tutorial and/or in depth mathematical derivations, look elsewhere (e.g., Battin: Introduction to the Mathematics and Methods of Astrodynamics or Vallado: Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications). However, the author is true to the goal he states in his preface: "I like a book that will fit in your briefcase." Despite being very thin, it has proven very useful for me in my work. I highly recommend it! (The ORBWIN software included with the book is also highly useful.)