Product Description
Space propulsion systems have a great influence on our ability to travel to other planets or how cheap a satellite can provide TV programs. This book provides an up-to-date overview of all kinds of propulsion systems ranging from classical rocket technology, nuclear propulsion to electric propulsion systems, and further to micro-, propellantless and even breakthrough propulsion, which is a new program under development at NASA. The author shows the limitations of the present concepts and how they could look like in the future. Starting from historical developments, the reader is taken to a journey showing the amazing technology that has been put on hold for decades to be rediscovered in the near future to questions like how we can even reach other stars within a human lifetime. The author is actively involved in advanced propulsion research and contributes with his own experience to many of the presented topics. The book is written for anyone who is interested in how space travel can be revolutionized. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

So little content, so much wrong
Wow.$50 for this little beauty.
The first chapter is a nice, but very brief (and consequently spotty), review of the history of rocketry, followed by a pretty good discussion of the physics or rocket flight.Gives the impression that this is going to be a pretty advanced text.
The next three chapters are so flawed as to be almost indigestible, featuring numerous erroneous statements and figures, as well as references to popular fiction as examples of technological innovation.The author displays a poor understanding of the current state of chemical propulsion and rocket technology.
The fifth and sixth chapters concern electric and micro-propulsion, and are handled rather well.
Chapter seven is a look at propellantless propulsion, not so much "advanced" as "speculative."
Chapter eight concerns "Breakthrough Propulsion."I was particularly intrigued (flabbergasted) by the implication that if we just wait a few years, limitations placed on space travel (mass and speed) by the Theory of Relativity will probably vanish.
Three short chapters of reasonably good content.Five short chapters of questionable merit.A pretty nice Further Reading section.$50.Wow.

interesting but...
such a small book for such a big price, if you at all interested in spacecraft propulsion you are sure know all but the equations in this book, it is informative, but only if you are completely ignorant of how spacecraft move through space, i like this book, but its too pricey for what you get.

Perhaps a useful overview, but riddled with errors
This slim book tries valiantly to summarize the entire range of space launch and in-space propulsion concepts, but does a questionable job of it.

The book has the usual problems of a very compressed summary -- some concepts, and many specific technologies and projects, are left out entirely, and there's no room to do more than briefly describe most of the concepts that are included.The level is variable:parts are apparently aimed at people with at least an undergraduate technical education -- there's lots of algebra, and more than a few differential equations -- yet many concepts are described only in qualitative terms, perhaps with a picture or diagram.Some references are to standard reference works or review articles intended for nonspecialists, while others are to specialized research papers likely to puzzle most readers who want more information -- assuming they can find the cited journals at all.

However, the book's major problem is that it's full of errors -- mostly minor individually, but distressing taken as a whole.I work in this field, and know many of the projects mentioned and researchers cited; without actively looking I noticed eleven errors in 38 pages.These range from a faulty diagram (Fig. 2.7) to a gross overstatement of the funding for one project, to fundamental errors in the descriptions of pulsed detonation engines ("a compression wave travels through the tube at the speed of sound" when in fact a detonation is a faster-than-sound process; a sonic or subsonic process is a deflagration) and pneumatic catapults.

If you want quick layman's introductions to a wide variety of advanced concepts, there are better summaries on line.

Best book about advanced propulsion concepts ever
This book is the most complete guide I've ever seen. The best part about this book is that anyone can read it and get something from it. Even a PhD in aerospace engineering can use it as a reference.

New ideas in, um, rocket science
I find the subject of this book, advanced space propulsion systems, very interesting.And there's plenty of good material in the book.Still, I wish it had delved into some of the topics in greater detail.And while I tend to try to be as comprehensive as possible when I cover a field, I have to admit that Tajmar covers some topics I would actually have skipped.

The book starts with a quick overview of rocket propulsion, including monopropellant and bipropellant engines.And we soon discover that Tajmar is going to take us from the fundamentals of rocket science into more speculative areas.He briefly discusses "advanced propellants" such as atomic hydrogen, metastable helium, and metallic hydrogen.Let's just say that in spite of (or maybe due to) my familiarity with these ideas, it would not have occurred to me to mention them in a book.

The author then evaluates launch assist technologies.These include aircraft assists, catapults, cannons, gas guns, ram accelerators, and electromagnetic (and magnetohydrodynamic) accelerators.There's even a mention of reducing drag with surface charging.

Next we get to nuclear propulsion.I would have expanded the section on fission propulsion, and thought twice about including the material on fusion propulsion and antimatter propulsion.

I think the best part of the book is the chapter on electric propulsion systems.There's plenty of information, including excellent photographs, of resistojets, arcjets, Hall thrusters, Kaufmann thrusters, Field Emission thrusters, Colloid thrusters, and more.Plus, there is a short section that could have been expanded on the threat of induced interactions between the plasma emitted by the propulsion system and the spacecraft.

Since this book looks to the future, that means a discussion of propulsion systems applicable for use on microspacecraft.Tajmar therefore includes a chapter on micropropulsion.

The next section is very interesting and not wholly speculative: "propellantless propulsion."That means tethers, laser propulsion, solar sails, and magnetic sails.Of these, I think solar sails surely deserved at least a few more pages.

The final chapter is a leap into what I think of as science fiction.That includes what I call "quantum propulsion" (an attempt to modify the vacuum and use the energy generated to propel a spacecraft).And it includes a attempts to couple gravitation and electromagnetism.And my, um, favorite: superconductor gravitational shielding.I might have omitted this chapter.

It's a useful book, but I think it could be improved. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes software

This valuable textbook describes those subjects important to conceptual,competitive stages of propulsion design and emphasizes the tools neededfor this process.

The text begins with a discussion of the history of propulsion andoutlines various propulsion system types to be discussed such as cold gassystems, monopropellant systems, bipropellant systems, and solid systems.

Included with the text is PRO: AIAA Propulsion Design Software that allowsthe reader to proceed directly from understanding into professional workand provides the accuracy, speed, and convenience of personal computing.Also, the software contains conversion routines that make it easy to moveback and forth between English and metric systems.

A recommended text for professionals and students of propulsion.

System Requirements:IBM PC, XT, AT, PS2, or compatible; 240K RAM memory;Math coprocessor (PRO will operate with or without one) ... Read more

Product Description
Drawn from early volumes of Aerospace America and itsantecedents, this book rescues the insights, concerns, and dreams ofdozens of space propulsion experts for the next generation of aerospacescientists and engineers.

Written by well-known figures in space propulsion, this book providesreadily accessible source material for design courses in astronauticalengineering. Propulsion Techniques surveys the technologies of rocketry inthe traditional categories of liquid, solid, hybrid, nuclear, and electricpropulsion. Historical trends and cycles are displayed in each category asarticles describe concepts and progress from the early visions of Goddard,Oberth, and Tsiolkovsky to proposed (and re-proposed) ideas for advancedspace thrusters. In addition to descriptions of rocket engines of varioustypes, associated technologies for propellants and space-electrical powersystems are discussed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

propulsion techniques:action and reaction
this introduces the laser propulsion to understand easily. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One of the best
This is one of the best resources for the conceptual and preliminary design of aircraft. It is not as thorough as Raymer; however, it covers the design for performance in much greater detail. It also covers engine performance and selection in greater detail than most design texts. You'll find that much of the worthwhile information in other sources is borrowed from Torenbeek.

Torenbeek's synthesis of subsonic airplane design
This book has a huge amount of useful data which is used in the preliminary design of aircraft compared to other books. Although it goes into a lot of detail is surprisingly very easy to read and understand. Iwould certainly recommend it to anyone interested in the design of subsonicaircraft as a student. ... Read more

Product Description
Space exploration and research depends fundamentally on the use of rockets to launch probes and manned vehicles beyond the earths atmosphere. The first successful launch vehicles were developed in the 1960s from concepts dating back to the 1930s. This practical book written from the perspective of the space scientist deals with the latest applications and propulsion concepts at a level readable by space scientists and students without a formal engineering background. There are seven main topics: Principles of rocket propulsion and base vehicle dynamics; Thermal motors and the thermodynamics of thrust; Liquid propellant motors; Solid propellant motors; Launch vehicles, station keeping and attitude control, interplanetary transfer vehicles and dynamics; New developments: advanced thermal motors; electric propulsion and dynamics of electrically propelled vehicles; Future developments, fission and fusion powered propulsion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

THE book on Rocket Propulsion
This book is ideal for anyone studying chemical rocket propulsion systems or, indeed, anyone interested in the subject!This book takes you on an indepth analysis of the basic physics of rocket science and continues through to more advanced propulsion techniques such as electrical propulsion systems.It is very easy to follow and, as it was written with a lecture course in mind, tells you pretty much all you need to know about the science of rockets.

It was alright!
I think this books is even a good book for fascinated children. I read it twice. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is published in honour of Corrado Casci. It is the compilation of contributions by scientists in the field of aerospace propulsion. These scientists have put together topics that cover a wide range of research in this field. The five main areas covered are: combustion, liquid sprays, computational fluid dynamics, turbomachinery and power cycles, and flight dynamics. Both researchers and practitioners in industry, as well as students (post-graduate level) should find this volume interesting. This monograph on is intended for researchers in aerospace engineering, combustion, computational fluids dynamics, turbomachinery, power cycles and energy fields. ... Read more

Product Description
Aerospace engineering - Aircraft, Spacecraft,Aeronautics,Astronautics, Aviation history, Laser propulsion,Aeroacoustics, Aerobraking, Aerocapture, Aerodynamics,Aeroelasticity, Aerospike engine, Aerostat, Air-augmentedrocket, Aircraft flight control systems, Aircraft flightmechanics, Airlock, Airship, Alcubierre drive, Angle ofattack, Angular momentum, Angular velocity, Antimatterrocket, Apsis, Arcjet rocket, Areal velocity, Orbitalmechanics, Atmospheric reentry, Attitude dynamics andcontrol, Avionics, Action (physics), Acceleration,Beam-powered propulsion, Bernoulli's principle,Liquid-fuelrocket, Bleed air, Buoyancy, Bussard ramjet, Controlengineering, De Laval nozzle, Compressibility, Ellipticoperator, Expander cycle (rocket), Flight dynamics, Fluiddynamics, Fluid mechanics, Geostationary orbit,Gravitational constant, Hohmann transfer orbit, HyShot,Interplanetary spaceflight, Interstellar travel, Jetengine,Kepler's laws of planetary motion, Kessler Syndrome,Multistage rocket, Navier?Stokes equations, Newton'slaws ofmotion, Orbital airship, Orbital station-keeping,Parallelaxis theorem, Relativistic rocket, Rocket engine nozzle,Rocket propellant, Solid-fuel rocket, Sound barrier,SpaceShuttle main engine, Space technology, Specialrelativity,Staged combustion cycle (rocket), Supersonic, Sweeptheory,Yaw, pitch, and roll, Tether propulsion, Thermodynamics,Tripropellant rocket, Viscometer, Vortex generator,Weightfunction ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not a real science book
This book is NOT a serious source of information for scholars, scientists, students or people simply curious about the aerospace engineering and related science. It was not put together by scholars, researchers, scientists, or people who are at all knowledgeable about aerospace, astronautics, and the like.

This volume is literally a bunch of articles literally copied and pasted off Wikipedia literally as is, with literally no clean-up of text or anything else. Literally. The text is very clunky since it was not cleaned up or formatted properly. You can see arrows where on Wikipedia there were links, as well as 'citation needed' and other html markup. Foreign language text along with symbols (i.e. certain math symbols and the like) are also missing from the printed text in this book.

There's nothing with with Wikipedia itself. It's a lovely source of free information, but it needs to be taken with a grain of salt due to vandals and people posting - intentionally or not - inaccurate information. To exacerbate the problem, the original subject of this book actually only makes up part of this volume. If you've read Wikipedia, you are familiar with how some words within the article provide links to other articles (for those curious and wishing to expand their research/reading) and while this can be helpful, not all of the links within any particular Wikipedia article are too relevant to the original subject matter. There is also often a list of other articles at the bottom of any Wikipedia article that are 'See also...' but these articles vary in relevance. Sadly, the 'editors' of this book simply click these links and copy and paste these articles, whether or not they're truly relevant (or even related) to the original subject matter.

The pictures within this book are also poor-quality, shrunk down from their original versions on Wikipedia and made black-and-white. Diagrams and other technical images therefore become near impossible to read or study. The size of the actual book itself isn't very large, and is about the size of a larger-size paperback, and the text itself is actually hard to read on top of being poorly formatted (some pages actually have rather large gaps/blank spaces)

You're better off reading the original article about aerospace engineering for free, and if you wish for longer and more relevant books on this particular subject, you can look right here on Amazon for books written and edited by people who are genuinely passionate and knowledgeable about the different fields of science and mechanics related to aeronautics and astronautics. ... Read more

Product Description
Aerospace Propulsion Systems is a unique book focusing on each type of propulsion system commonly used in aerospace vehicles today: rockets, piston aero engines, gas turbine engines, ramjets, and scramjets. Dr. Thomas A. Ward introduces each system in detail, imparting an understanding of basic engineering principles, describing key functionality mechanisms used in past and modern designs, and provides guidelines for student design projects. With a balance of theory, fundamental performance analysis, and design, the book is specifically targeted to students or professionals who are new to the field and is arranged in an intuitive, systematic format to enhance learning.

• Covers all engine types, including piston aero engines
• Design principles presented in historical order for progressive understanding
• Focuses on major elements to avoid overwhelming or confusing readers
• Presents example systems from the US, the UK, Germany, Russia, Europe, China, Japan, and India
• Richly illustrated with detailed photographs
• Cartoon panels present the subject in an interesting, easy-to-understand way
• Contains carefully constructed problems (with a solution manual available to the educator)
• Lecture slides and additional problem sets for instructor use

Advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and engineering professionals new to the area of propulsion will find Aerospace Propulsion Systems a highly accessible guide to grasping the key essentials. Field experts will also find that the book is a very useful resource for explaining propulsion issues or technology to engineers, technicians, businessmen, or policy makers. Post-graduates involved in multi-disciplinary research or anybody interested in learning more about spacecraft, aircraft, or engineering would find this book to be a helpful reference.

Lecture materials for instructors available at www.wiley.com/go/wardaero

Product Description
The next great leap for jet propulsion will be topower-sustained, efficient flight through the atmosphere. HypersonicAirbreathing Propulsion presents the first comprehensive, unifiedintroduction to all elements of the scramjet engine that will make thisfeat possible.

Developed through course work at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and supportedthrough funding by the NASP program and Wright Laboratory, the textemphasizes fundamental principles, guiding concepts, and analyticalderivations and numerical examples having clear, useful, insightfulresults.

Hypersonic Airbreathing Propulsion is completely self-contained, and comeswith HAP software, an extensive array of PC-based, user-friendly computerprograms that enable the student to reproduce all results. Based on agreat deal of original material, the text includes over 200 figures, fivecolor plates, and 130 homework examples. Physical quantities are expressedin English and SI units throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Review of Hypersonic Airbreathing Propulsion
First, I would like to compliment the shipper who sold me the book, which was in very good unused condition.The book is rated as one of the best if not the best fundamental book on hypersonic propulsion.It flows well by giving a basic understanding of high speed flight and then slowly works into a more detailed description.The book does a great job outlining assumptions to hypersonic flight and reviews physics behind high speed flight and even briefly outlines some fundamental concepts as they apply to kinetic theory.

Excellent overview of scramjet engines
An extremely well-written, clear overview of scramjet engines.The authors do a remarkable job presenting the information in an understandable manner.The book performs a one-dimensional analysis aimed at giving the reader an "engineering intuition" of the topic, without introducing the complexities that arise in a three-dimensional analysis.While the book is self-contained, an undergraduate-level understanding of thermodynamics and supersonic flow makes the read easier.

Good, but needs some changes
This is a good book: easy to understand and apply. However, some changes are in order.In the Special Topics sectionl, a table presents the thermal stresses and thermal durability of several materials--without specifyingthe temperature and pressure for the materials.As material propertieschange drastically at high temperatures, such tables are incomplete withoutthe above information.I hesitated in using the information in my designreport, and asked my materials and manufacturing professor about it aswell.He agreed that this information must be provided for the table to beof any use.It would also help if you specify the units afterpresenting an equation.Yes, we can figure it out, but try sitting on yourbehind for hours on end and having to stop every so often in your design tofigure out the units for an equation! Colorful language flows likeanything!

Simply the best introductory book on aircraft engine design
A clearly-written, logically-organized overview of aircraft jet engine design including thermodynamics, cycle analysis, and component design and evaluation.Includes an overview of how jet engine design fits into theoverall process of aircraft design. ... Read more

Product Description
Fundamentals of Jet Propulsion with Applications is an introductory text in air-breathing jet propulsion including ramjets, turbojets, turbofans, and propjets. Aimed at upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, the book provides coverage of the basic operating principles, from cycle analysis through component design and system matching. A basic understanding of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics is assumed, although many principles are thoroughly reviewed. Numerous examples and nearly 300 homework problems based on modern engines make this book an ideal teaching tool, as well as a valuable reference for practicing engineers. A CD included with the book contains example files and software to support the text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Important Reference Book for Aircraft Design
Aircraft design is an important subject for those doing a degree course in Aeronautical Engineering. The subject is often offered towards the later stages of the course when students have gained knowledge in some of the core subjects including aerodynamics, aircraft control and stability, aircraft performance, aircraft propulsion and aircraft structures. This book does an excellent job of providing a systematic presentation of the process of aircraft configuration design and optimization in the conceptual design of subsonic aircraft.

The book was a valuable guide in my university days in the early 1980s when doing projects in aircraft design. We used to simply refer to the book as Torenbeek, highlighting the fact that the book was considered a classic and ready reference source for those involved in aircraft design studies.

The book has a large amount of critical data and various methods of carrying out design calculations. The book focuses on conventional civil subsonic aircraft.

I recommended the book for all students doing an Aeronautical Engineering course as well as people who require to learn about initial aircraft design and development. Although the book was written in a university setting, people working in design departments in the aircraft industry should find the book very useful for their work.

... Read more

Product Description
This text provides a complete introduction to gas turbine and rocket propulsion for aerospace and mechanical engineers. Building on the very successful Elements of Gas Turbine Propulsion, textbook coverage has been expanded to include rocket propulsion and the material on gas dynamics has been dramatically improved. The text is divided into four parts: basic concepts and gas dynamics; analysis of rocket propulsion systems; parametric (design point) and performance (off-design) analysis of air breathing propulsion systems; and analysis and design of major gas turbine engine components (fans, compressors, turbines, inlets, nozzles, main burners, and afterburners).

Design concepts are introduced early (aircraft and rocket performance in an introductory chapter) and integrated throughout. Written with extensive student input on the design of the book, the book builds upon definitions and gradually develops the thermodynamics, gas dynamics, rocket engine analysis, and gas turbine engine principles. The book contains over 100 worked examples and numerous homework problems so concepts are applied after they are introduced. Over 600 illustrations and pictures show basic concepts, trends, and design examples.

Eight computer programs accompany the text, which allow for rapid calculation of trends, “what if” questions, conceptual design, homework problems, and homework verification. The software runs in the Windows operating system on PC-compatible systems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Received in very good condition
This text bookcame in very good condition. Only the edges of the cover were slightly bent. All in all, it was a very worthwhile purchase.

Top Textbook on Engine Performance
This is the best textbook written on the modeling and performance prediction of gas turbine engines. A systematic method is used to model a variety of engines from the basic turbojet to the advanced afterburning turbofan used in modern fighters. Performance predictions include the effect of engine controls - a unique feature. Turbomachinery design includes structural considerations. This book is a great textbook for junior/senior level courses in aerospace/mechanical engineering. It is being used for a basic course in gas turbine engine and a followup course in engine component design...

Good content, but who proof read it??
The foreword by Hans von Ohain is very good.I always like the aerospace textbooks that have some sort of history or commentary before getting into the equations.The content of the book is very thorough, and the equations are often grouped into step-by-step methods to analyze an engine which can be imported into a program like Excel very easily.The support programs are good enough for most applications that a student will run into.However, there appears to be a very large amount of typographical errors in this book.Most of them are minor and can be caught quickly, but I have seen a couple of major equations (2.76 for example) with errors.Considering that the textbook is for students who aren't always used to these equations, this can lead to a lot of confusion.This is compounded by the use of both BE and SI units in the text.These same problems occurred in the last edition.Overall I would still recommend using the book for a class, but beware of the errors. ... Read more