Dr. Lucy Rogers (auth.)9780387753775, 9780387753782
“Well, it’s not rocket science, is it?”
How many times have you heard people use that expression when they mean something pretty simple? There are other areas of science and technology that are arguably more challenging than rocket science, but no other (perhaps apart from brain surgery) has entered mainstream English vocabulary as a byword for ‘difficult’.
But ‘hard to understand’ isn’t the same as ‘impossible to understand’, as Dr Lucy Rogers – who is herself currently working as a rocket scientist – shows in this book.
She describes, in everyday terms and entirely without complex math, just what is involved in launching something into space, to explore the universe beyond our small planet. If you want to understand the fundamentals of space flight, from how to leave the Earth – including the design of the rocket and vehicle, mission planning, navigation and communication – to life in space and the effects of weightlessness, begin your journey here.
Table of contents :
Front Matter….Pages i-xiv
Introduction….Pages 1-17
Rockets and Spacecraft….Pages 19-53
Space Missions….Pages 55-81
Movement in Three Dimensions….Pages 83-113
Propulsion Systems….Pages 115-132
Navigation in Three Dimensions….Pages 133-150
Communication….Pages 151-168
Humans in Space….Pages 169-208
Observing Satellites….Pages 209-235
Where to Go….Pages 237-271
The Future….Pages 273-302
Back Matter….Pages 303-350
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