Page 12 - Intro to Space Sciences Spacecraft Applications

Preface

In 1985, the authors were asked to create an introductory course for a
new series of classes focusing on space systems engineering in an under-
graduate aerospace engineering curriculum. Although the authors were
familiar with separate texts on each of the subjects to be taught, there
seemed to be no single existing text that covered all the topics at a level
that could be used for an introductory class. The first time the course was
taught, handouts were created for each of the topics covered. Each suc-
cessive time that the course was taught, the handouts were updated based
on the experience of the preceding class. The idea to publish came very
early, and the handouts evolved into the chapters that make up this text.
In its manuscript form, this text has been used by several hundred stu-
dents, in several different institutions, under different instructors, with
very favorable reviews. The most common comment is the ease with
which the student can read and understand the material. Although the text
is geared toward sophomore/junior undergraduate engineering students
who will continue to take courses in these space-related topics, it has
proven to be comprehensible and interesting to students in other science
and nonengineering fields as well. The subjects are introduced on a basic
level with no prior related knowledge expected of the student. A funda-
mental knowledge of physics, differential equations, dynamics, and other
pre-engineering subjects is helpful, but not necessary, to understanding
the basic concepts presented.
To emphasize this point, the subject matter of the text has been con-
densed into a “short course” that has been presented to many diversified
groups of managers, technicians, military personnel, and other profes-
sionals-not necessarily engineers-over the past several years. Many of
these people are involved in space systems acquisition or operation, and
most report that the course provides them with a more complete level of
understanding that makes them more comfortable in their fields and which
they believe will help them in their professions. The text material has
proven to be an excellent reference and review source for the student and
professional alike.
This text considers many of the interdisciplinary topics necessary for
understanding the design and application of space-based systems. The

ix