The book “Fundamentals of Space Missions: Problems with Solutions” has been released and is a comprehensive guide for students, instructors, and professionals in the field of space systems and missions. Written by Professor Mike Gruntman, an astronautics expert who has taught the subject at the University of Southern California for the past 25 years to over 2,000 students, this book offers a unique blend of theory and practicality. With over 160 homework and exam problems, each accompanied by detailed solutions, the book serves as a hands-on manual for making fundamental estimates and calculations in the planning and design of space missions and systems. The book covers a wide range of topics, including visible magnitudes of stars and satellites, the solar system, coordinate systems and time, plane and solid angles, space environment, satellite atmospheric drag, solar radiation pressure, gravitational field, the Earth, basics of orbital mechanics, orbital elements, orbital transfers, maneuvers and evolution, common satellite orbits, and space mission geometry. The book is available in both Kindle electronic form and paperback and can be purchased in over a dozen countries via Amazon. The book should serve as an indispensable resource for university students and instructors, as well as for space engineers and managers, particularly system engineers, who are involved in the planning, design, and operation of space missions, systems, and payloads. A full list of problems can be found at the Astronautics Now website.
Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.