The Big Book of Launch Vehicles: The Library

Please note that this is not even close to finished, nor is it necessarily the final layout. Click on chapter/volume title for more info (chapters are not necessarily laid out in order, either).

Books to have: Propulsion

Sutton, "Rocket Propulsion Elements"

This is one of the basics of rocket engine/motor design. Covers the theory in gory, useful detail. A MUST HAVE.

 

Huzel&Huang, "Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines"

The other basic. Thios covers the topic in more "technological" detail, with more info on systems. A MUST HAVE.

 

Humble et al, "Space Propulsion Analysis and Design"

NOT ON HAND

 

Bussard, "Nuclear Rocket Propulsion"

Published 1958, McGraw-Hill. The gory theoretical details, but with useful practical applications info.

 

Gantz, "Nuclear Flight"

Published 1960, Duell, Sloan and Pearce. A good overview of various nuclear propulsion systems.

 

Peters, "Design of Liquid, Solid and Hybrid Rockets"

INCOMPLETE COPY Good practical design manual.

 

Barrere, "Rocket Propulsion"

Published 1960, Elsevier. 771 pages, covering practical rocket engine design and basic ballistic/launch vehicle performance and layout.

 

Oates, "Aerothermodynamics of Gas Turbine and Rocket Propulsion"

3rd Ed. published 1988, AIAA. 452 pages, covering, as the title might forebode, thermodynamics. A good reference for basic rocket performance theory.

 

 

Books to have: Conventional Launcher Design

 

Lange, "Space Carrier Vehicles"

Published in 1963, Academic Press. 317 pages, a really excellent book that covers everything to some degree or another, although at mid-1960’s tech levels. A good basis for The Big Book. A MUST HAVE

 

Seifert&Brown "Ballistic Missile and Space Vehicle Systems"

Published in 1961, John Wiley and Sons. 526 pages, a good reference for ballistic missiel and conventional ELV design, though dated.

 

Leondes&Vance "Lunar Missions and Explorations"

Published in 1961, John Wiley and Sons. 669 pages, a really excellent primer for ELV design, including useful info on launch facilty design and location. A MUST HAVE.

 

Wood "Aerospace Vehicle Design vol 2: Spacecraft Design"

NOT ON HAND A MUST HAVE. (that I don’t have, damnit)

 

Isakowitz, "Space Launch Systems"

THE book on current launch vehicles. 3 editions; go for the most recent. A MUST HAVE.

 

London, "LEO on The Cheap"

Published in 1994, Air University Press. 213 pages, an interesting book covering several concepts for lowering space launch cost. Not great detail, and with some flaws, but useful.

 

Fortescue and Stark, "Spacecraft Systems Engineering"

Published 1995, John Wiley and Sons. 581 pages, primarily a spacecraft/satellite design manual, contains useful basics of launch vehicle design. Rest of book valuable as well.

 

Stine, "Handbook of Model Rocketry"

Many editions. The ultra-basics of ultra-basic launch vehicle design. A good place to start.

 

"Final Report Booster Propulsion, Vehicle Impact Study"

Published 1988, Boeing. An example of trade studies and preliminary designs for SSTO and TSTO vehicles.

 

Books to have: Re-entry Vehicles, aero/lifting flight vehicles

 

Corning, "Aerospace Vehicle Design"

Published 1964, self-published. 311 pages, an excellent if old overview of vehicle design. Focuses on lifting re-entry vehicles.

 

Anderson, " Introduction to Flight"

3rd Ed. Published 1989, McGraw-Hill. 616 pages, an excellent textbook covering the basics of aeronautics and aircraft design. A MUST HAVE.

 

Raymer, "Aircraft Design : A Conceptual Approach"

3rd Ed. Published 1999, AIAA. THE book on how to design aircraft. A MUST HAVE (that, again, I don’t have).

 

LINKS for aircraft design books

 

Books to have: Engineering

 

McDonald, et al. "Materials for Missiles and Spacecraft"

Published 1963, McGraw-Hill. 442 pages, vast repository of materials info for launch/space applications, with manufacturing, nhuclear, vacuum exposure, etc. data. A MUST HAVE.

 

Frank, "Materials for Rockets and Missiles"

Published 1959, MacMillan Co. 124 pages, lots of data on relevant metallic alloys of the day.

 

Roark, "Formulas for Stress and Strain"

Many editions. A must have for basic structural analysis.

 

Rivello, "Theory and Analysis of Flight Structures"

Published 1969, McGraw-Hill. 516 pages, a textbook covering aircraft structures and relevant concerns.

 

Allen, "Introduction to Aerospace Structural Analysis"

Published 1985, John Wiley and Sons. 507 pages,  a textbook covering aircraft structures and relevant concerns.

 

Books to have: Advanced Propulsion

 

Forward, "Antiproton Annihilation Propulsion"

Published 1985, AFRPL. ~200 pages, all the basics… lots of theory, lots of suggestions, fairly light on practical engineering.

 

Forward, "Advanced Space Propulsion"

Published 1987, AFRPL. Antiproton and beamed propulsion; mostly deep-space applications.

 

Myrabo, "The Future of Flight"

Published in 1995, Baen Publishing. 283 pages, a popular book on laser launching, but with useful detail.

 

Books to have: Misc.

 

Herrick and Burgess, "Rocket Encyclopedia Illustrated"

Published 1959, Aero Publishers . All the basics of rocket engines and motors are described and shown.

 

 "Catalog"

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. Where to get a lot of stuff you’ll need to build the man-carrying rocket in your back yard.

 

 

 

 Taking suggestions for both links and reading material.