Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students

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Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students,

Edition 5

Editors: By Howard D. Curtis, Ph.D., Purdue University

Publication Date: 01 Sep 2026

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Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students, Fifth Edition, is a key text for students of aerospace engineering. While this latest edition has been updated with new content and end-of-chapter problems, it retains its teach-by-example approach that emphasizes analytical procedures, computer-implemented algorithms, and the most comprehensive support package available, including fully worked solutions, PPT lecture slides, and animations of selected topics. Highly illustrated and fully supported with downloadable MATLAB algorithms for project and practical work, this book provides all the tools needed to fully understand the subject.

Key Features

A complete, stand-alone text for this core aerospace engineering subject
Richly detailed, up-to-date curriculum coverage; clearly and logically developed to meet the needs of students
Highly illustrated and fully supported with downloadable MATLAB algorithms for project and practical work, Q&A material, extensive homework exercises, and fully worked examples throughout

About the author

By Howard D. Curtis, Ph.D., Purdue University, Professor Emeritus, Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida, USA

1. Dynamics of Point Masses
2. The Two-Body Problem
3. Orbital Position as a Function of Time
4. Orbits in Three Dimensions
5. Preliminary Orbit Determination
6. Orbital Maneuvers
7. Relative Motion and Rendezvous
8. Interplanetary Trajectories
9. Lunar Trajectories
10. Introduction to Orbital Perturbations
11. Rigid Body Dynamics
12. Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics
13. Rocket Vehicle Dynamics Appendices

Appendix
A. Physical Data
B. A Road Map
C. Numerical Integration of the N-Body Equations of Motion
D. MATLAB Scripts
E. Gravitational Potential of a Sphere
F. Computing the Difference Between Nearly Equal Numbers
G. Direction Cosine Matrix in Terms of the Unit Quaternion

ISBN: 9780443290152

Page Count: 850

Retail Price (USD) :

Undergraduate students in aerospace, astronautical, mechanical engineering, and engineering physics

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