INTRODUCTION TO ASTRODYNAMICS by Baker, R. M. L., Jr., and M. W. Makemson reviewed by Frederick I. Ordway III

From The Space Library

INTRODUCTION TO ASTRODYNAMICS

by Baker, R. M. L., Jr., and M. W. Makemson

New York, 1960: Academic Press, 358 pages, $7.50

Published in association with "Advances in Space Science" (F. I. Ordway, III, ed), this book is the first introductory text covering the subject of astrodynamics. It is designed both as a text book for introductory undergraduate university courses and as a reference and handbook for practicing engineers and scientists. According to the authors, "this work is meant to serve both as a brief introduction to the history, nomenclature, and practical application of astrodynamics and as a key or handbook of specific astrodynamic techniques." The book is divided into two major parts, the first covering fundamentals and background and the second providing more detailed analysis. Chapter titles are: "Introduction" (historical background, elements of a two-body orbit, harmonic and vis-viva laws, velocity components, equations of absolute and relative motion, and perturbations), "The Minor Planets," "Comets," "Geometry and Coordinate Systems," "Astrodynamic Constants," "Orbit Determination and Improvement," "The N-Body Problem," "Special Perturbations," "General Perturbations," "Non-gravitational and Relativistic Effects," "Observation Theory," and "Application to Interplanetary Orbits." At the end of the book is a useful glossary of terms and symbols. 175 references are supplied and exercises are provided in the form of questions and problems to be solved.

Extracted from the 1962 Publication Annotated Bibliography of Space Science and Technology with an Astronomical Supplement - A History of Astronautical Book Literature 1931 - 1961. by Frederick I. Ordway III