Fundamentals of Astrodynamics

I received a quality product in a timely fashion. I couldn't ask for anything better.

The book is a classic in the field of astrodynamics, but that is exactly what it is: outdated. The book is designed with engineering students in mind, who do not have a deep understanding of physics and especially mathematics (calculus isn't the summit of mathematics!). The book ends where it starts to get interesting (real-life situations). Yes, many books only deal with ideal situations, which can be solved explicitly, but a book on astrodynamics naturally means that you are dealing with the physical reality of imperfection, so deal with it.

However, if you don't know anything of astrodynamics and you are interested in an introduction this is a good (and cheap, thanks to Dover publications' reprints) place to start. Don't be fooled, however, it's not a book on orbital mechanics, since there is a lot more mathematics to orbital mechanics than is shown in this book (e.g. numerical methods, perturbations and averaging methods). A very comprehensive book on astrodynamics is by Vallado, for those who want a complete overview and lots of pseudocode computer programmes (although even that book is not state-of-the-art).

The book presents a very detailed introduction to orbital mechanics. However, it does not deal with spacecraft rotations, which are an important part of spacecraft motion. Therefore, the book is advisable if you are planning to study only orbital mechanics. I would recommend that you refer to another text book if you want a more complete introduction to astrodynamics.

An excellent introduction that is VERY readable. Chapter 4 has a nice section on using Universal Formulation for time of flight. Intro books costing over $100.00 are not of this quality. This book is a rare case where you get more than you pay for.

This is an excellent text for students and professionals working in aerospace engineering, physics and astronomy. Good luck finding an astrodynamics book more clearly written and illustrated.

The math is accessible to any serious undergraduate student in the physical sciences. Admittedly, the mathematical treatment is a bit dated, geared toward a 1970's engineer with a slide rule. However, a good Matlab programmer can just take the formulas and go from there using modern methods on a desktop computer.

This is a practical book that focuses on helping the reader master the basic physics, coordinate transforms and methods for dealing with a body's translational motion in a central-force gravity field. It does not cover more advanced topics such as rotational dynamics, gravity models, or navigation & control systems. The historical anecdotes are great - fascinating and pertinent as well. This may not be the end-all book on astrodynamics, but it's a reference I always keep close at hand.