Orbital Mechanics: The Essentials

Book Synopsis: During my 30-plus years of teaching orbital mechanics in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University, I carefully developed the material I taught. I intended to cover the introductory topics that were essential for aerospace engineering students. The material I developed during my teaching career is now offered in Orbital Mechanics: The Essentials. I believe it’s presented in a simplified yet thorough manner, which facilitates understanding for students as well as working professionals. The topics are covered on a comprehensive level that also provides a solid background for students in other fields of engineering and science who might be interested in learning orbital mechanics. My description of the topics assumes readers have an introductory knowledge of differential and integral calculus and differential equations. However, individuals without such a background can still benefit from this textbook.

Orbital Mechanics: “The Essentials” is an in-depth discussion of the two-body problem and includes an introduction to satellite perturbations. It contains hundreds of problems designed to improve student understanding. Special effort was taken to select problems that demonstrate applications of the concepts covered. The problems were taken from homework and examinations that thousands of Auburn aerospace engineering students worked during their time in my classes.

As an engineering professor, my primary goal was to simplify difficult technical concepts so all students could understand them. For that reason, Orbital Mechanics: “The Essentials” is organized in a module-based learning format, where each module only covers a few important concepts without a multitude of derivations and mathematical proofs. Each module also includes several example problems with solutions and a larger selection of problems with answers, which are appropriate for homework assignments or in-class exercises.

The material in this textbook is presented in more of an outline/powerpoint type of display rather than in wordy and overly detailed descriptions many books include. I’ve found much of the information in standard textbooks is too complex and overwhelming to undergraduate students, which discourages rather than motivates them. It’s my belief that if students learn the fundamentals there are many reference books available from which they can expand their knowledge base about any specific topic. Orbital mechanics is not easy, but it’s been my goal to make it enjoyably simple once the basic laws are understood. To do so, I’ve attempted to present the difficult concepts as clearly as possible to facilitate that understanding.

I hope all who use this textbook find it understandable and useful. I guarantee that those working through it will learn a tremendous amount about orbital mechanics.