Top products from r/aerospace

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u/__PROMETHEUS__ · 4 pointsr/aerospace

Note: I am not an engineer, but I do have some suggestions of things you may like.

Books:

  • Failure Is Not An Option by Gene Krantz: Great book about the beginnings of the NASA program, Gemini, Mercury, Apollo, and later. Gene Krantz was a flight director and worked as a test pilot for a long time, and his stories are gripping. Beyond engineering and space, it's a pretty insightful book on leadership in high-stress team situations.

  • Kelly: More Than My Share by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson: This is on my shelf but I haven't read it yet. Kelly Johnson was a pioneer in the world of flight, leading the design and construction of some of the most advanced planes ever built, like the U2 and the SR-71. Kelly's impact on the business of aerospace and project management is immense, definitely a good guy to learn about. Plus he designed the P38 Lightning, without a doubt the most beautiful plane ever built ;)

  • Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of my Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich: A fantastic look at the inside of Lockheed Martin's advanced projects division, the Skunk Works. Ben Rich succeeded Kelly Johnson at Lockheed, so this one is going to overlap with the book above quite a bit. I loved the pace of this one, and it covered a lot more than just the F-117, as the cover would suggest - cool info on the SR-71, U2, F104, the D21 supersonic drone, and stealth technology in general. Beyond that, it provides an inside look at the intricacies of DoD contract negotiation, security/clearance issues, and advanced projects. Awesome book, highly recommend.

  • Elon Musk's Bio by Ashley Vance: A detailed history of all things Musk, I recommend it for the details about SpaceX and the goal to make humans a multi-planetary species. Musk and his (now massive) team are doing it: thinking big, getting their hands dirty, and building/launching/occasionally blowing up cool stuff.

    Videos/Games/Blogs/Podcasts:

  • Selenian Boondocks: general space blog, lots of robotics and some space policy

  • Gravity Loss: another space blog, lots about future launch systems

  • The Age of Aerospace: Boeing made a cool series of videos last year for their 100th birthday. Great look at the history of an aerospace mainstay, though it seems a bit self-aggrandizing at times.

  • If you want to kill a ton of time on the computer while mastering the basics of orbital mechanics by launching small green men into space, Kerbal Space Program is for you. Check out /r/kerbalspaceprogram if your interested.

  • Subreddits like /r/spacex, /r/blueorigin, and /r/ula are worth following for space news.
u/linehan23 · 10 pointsr/aerospace

/u/another_user_name posted this list a while back. Actual aerospace textbooks are towards the bottom but you'll need a working knowledge of the prereqs first.

Non-core/Pre-reqs:


Mathematics:


Calculus.


1-4) Calculus, Stewart -- This is a very common book and I felt it was ok, but there's mixed opinions about it. Try to get a cheap, used copy.

1-4) Calculus, A New Horizon, Anton -- This is highly valued by many people, but I haven't read it.

1-4) Essential Calculus With Applications, Silverman -- Dover book.

More discussion in this reddit thread.

Linear Algebra


3) Linear Algebra and Its Applications,Lay -- I had this one in school. I think it was decent.

3) Linear Algebra, Shilov -- Dover book.

Differential Equations


4) An Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations, Coddington -- Dover book, highly reviewed on Amazon.

G) Partial Differential Equations, Evans

G) Partial Differential Equations For Scientists and Engineers, Farlow

More discussion here.

Numerical Analysis


5) Numerical Analysis, Burden and Faires


Chemistry:


  1. General Chemistry, Pauling is a good, low cost choice. I'm not sure what we used in school.

    Physics:


    2-4) Physics, Cutnel -- This was highly recommended, but I've not read it.

    Programming:


    Introductory Programming


    Programming is becoming unavoidable as an engineering skill. I think Python is a strong introductory language that's got a lot of uses in industry.

  2. Learning Python, Lutz

  3. Learn Python the Hard Way, Shaw -- Gaining popularity, also free online.

    Core Curriculum:


    Introduction:


  4. Introduction to Flight, Anderson

    Aerodynamics:


  5. Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, Fox, Pritchard McDonald

  6. Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, Anderson

  7. Theory of Wing Sections, Abbot and von Doenhoff -- Dover book, but very good for what it is.

  8. Aerodynamics for Engineers, Bertin and Cummings -- Didn't use this as the text (used Anderson instead) but it's got more on stuff like Vortex Lattice Methods.

  9. Modern Compressible Flow: With Historical Perspective, Anderson

  10. Computational Fluid Dynamics, Anderson

    Thermodynamics, Heat transfer and Propulsion:


  11. Introduction to Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer, Cengel

  12. Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion, Hill and Peterson

    Flight Mechanics, Stability and Control


    5+) Flight Stability and Automatic Control, Nelson

    5+)[Performance, Stability, Dynamics, and Control of Airplanes, Second Edition](http://www.amazon.com/Performance-Stability-Dynamics-Airplanes-Education/dp/1563475839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315534435&sr=8-1, Pamadi) -- I gather this is better than Nelson

  13. Airplane Aerodynamics and Performance, Roskam and Lan

    Engineering Mechanics and Structures:


    3-4) Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics, Hibbeler

  14. Mechanics of Materials, Hibbeler

  15. Mechanical Vibrations, Rao

  16. Practical Stress Analysis for Design Engineers: Design & Analysis of Aerospace Vehicle Structures, Flabel

    6-8) Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures, Bruhn -- A good reference, never really used it as a text.

  17. An Introduction to the Finite Element Method, Reddy

    G) Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium, Malvern

    G) Fracture Mechanics, Anderson

    G) Mechanics of Composite Materials, Jones

    Electrical Engineering


  18. Electrical Engineering Principles and Applications, Hambley

    Design and Optimization


  19. Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design, Nicolai and Carinchner

  20. Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach, Raymer

  21. Engineering Optimization: Theory and Practice, Rao

    Space Systems


  22. Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications, Vallado

  23. Introduction to Space Dynamics, Thomson -- Dover book

  24. Orbital Mechanics, Prussing and Conway

  25. Fundamentals of Astrodynamics, Bate, Mueller and White

  26. Space Mission Analysis and Design, Wertz and Larson
u/Hurpderpderp · 5 pointsr/aerospace

A ton of people come into aero not really knowing what to expect. As a freshman, my core labs/classes for aero all used Introduction to Flight. Not saying you should buy it (because it is an expensive textbook), but if you can find a pdf I highly suggest reading through it. It will give you an idea of what formulas are used, what kind of units you have to juggle and the basic concept behind the plug and chug work. If you do get into an aero program, good luck and keep your grades up. If you can come out of an aero program with a 3.5+ GPA you can most certainly get a dream job.

u/sbl1985 · 7 pointsr/aerospace

IMO you want Bate's Fundamentals of Astrodynamics.

I don't want to speak out of turn, as I wasn't alive at the time, but my professors claim to have learned everything on this bad boy. It's great for getting a grasp on the concepts and well worth the 15 dollar price tag even just to put on your shelf to sit there and look cool. I got it with that in mind and it's become my go-to. Admittedly, computational approaches have changed the standard regarding some of the info in this text but the core concepts are there and it makes the content approachable.

u/Anzate · 4 pointsr/aerospace

Unfortunately orbital mechanics gets really complex really quickly. Some good textbooks on the maths of spaceflight are

  • Astronautics, by Ulrich Walter. Walter is a German astronaut, physicist and professor. If I remember correctly, he tries to make the physics of spaceflight interesting via pop culture references and stories from his personal experience.

  • An Introduction to the Mathematics and Methods of Astrodynamics, by R. H. Battin. Battin's work in orbital mechanics is unparalled, but make no mistake: this is an advanced mathematics textbook in disguise.

  • Orbital Mechanics, by J. E. Prussing and B. A. Conway. This book is dense: in 200 pages it summarizes what Walter needs 500+ to cover. It's my favourite reference text but, as a professor of mine once put it, it's better to read it after you've understood the subject thoroughly.

    Keep in mind that all of the above are textbooks at the advanced undergrad/first-year grad level.

    I'm not aware of simpler books about spaceflight. It would be grand to have something akin to Anderson's Introduction to Flight for space; if anyone's aware of such a book, I would be more than glad myself to discover it!
u/scurvybill · 4 pointsr/aerospace

If Aerospace Engineering had an index, it would be Raymer's Aircraft Design book. That'll give you the overall background on just about anything.

If there's special subjects you're interested in, there are entire books on:

  • Lift

  • Drag

  • Compressible Flow Dynamics

  • Subsonic Fluid Flow (Laminar, Turbulent, Separation, etc)

  • Propulsion

  • Aero Structures

  • Aerolasticity

  • Stability and Control

  • Guidance and Navigation

  • Avionics

  • Unmanned Systems

  • Flight Test

  • Airworthiness Certification

  • Orbital Mechanics

  • Spaceflight Dynamics

  • Rocket Engines

    And it goes on and on... If you want something specific, ping me! Raymer's is a good starting point (albeit a thorough one).
u/notavalid · 2 pointsr/aerospace

Design is really complicated and encompasses a lot of different areas of engineering. If you're looking for an intro book to get started with, I'd recommend John Anderson's Intro to Flight.

Get one of the older editions for cheap(like the fifth edition). It's a good text that is focused on students that are not necessarily engineering. It'll get you started enough that you can start thinking about design principals if you want to tackle something like RC aircraft, a Flight Simulator, or Simple Planes.

u/dorylinus · 1 pointr/aerospace

I don't know that there is a "complete list" like that, it's not well defined, and different people and organizations divide things up in different ways. It might be more helpful to try and find out what sort of things are being done in the space industry that you'd like to get involved in, and then ask specifically about that.

However, if you are looking for some resources on what space engineers do, there's always Space Mission Engineering (formerly called SMAD) which provides a good overview of a complete mission.

u/na85 · 2 pointsr/aerospace

https://www.amazon.ca/Computational-Fluid-Dynamics-John-Anderson/dp/0070016852

I'd recommend starting with this. Yes, it's from 1995 but the basics haven't changed. He walks you through the math for a not-so-simple solver and there's some sample code. Possibly Fortran but I can't recall.

Either way, it's a good way to get your feet wet. You can learn about the more advanced techniques later.

u/Koyomi_Nanaka · 4 pointsr/aerospace

i got a book for my Aerospace class. Been studding it for a year and a half. The more I read this book the more it gets better. I know it's expensive, but I've enjoyed it.

https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Flight-John-Anderson-Jr/dp/0078027675/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521233604&sr=8-1&keywords=anderson+introduction+flight

u/[deleted] · 2 pointsr/aerospace

Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design is another great book on aircraft design as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Aircraft-Airship-Design-Education/dp/1600867510

u/MikeHolmesIV · 2 pointsr/aerospace

If you're looking into aircraft side of things, then I would strongly recommend picking up Stick and Rudder

It's not a text on the engineering aspect, but it's good to have a grasp on how pilots will be using the aircraft you work on.

u/concussion962 · 4 pointsr/aerospace

Sure, its more aligned with "applied" aerodynamics, but Stick and Rudder is a good read that goes into how airplanes work (and how to fly them apply aerodynamics in a real-world environment).

u/nastran · 2 pointsr/aerospace

I understand. Have you thought about visiting universities near you, which might have aerospace engineering related program? You might be interested in student competition programs (perhaps the team leaders will let you hang around & participate), such as DBF (Design Build & Fly) and AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International). As for additional textbook resources, I happened to use Flight Stability and Automatic Control by Nelson for upper division flight control course, but it is riddled with errors (make sure to read the errata). I also recommend Mechanics of Flight by Philips for the same topic.

u/phobos123 · 1 pointr/aerospace

oh boy, thank you so much for this detailed response! This is exactly what I was looking for. Seems like I have plenty to go on. In case anyone else is ever looking at this thread I have to add one more to your list of general space systems books- SMAD. SMAD and Griffin's book have been my bibles.

u/myrrh09 · 1 pointr/aerospace

BMW is probably the best intro book I've seen. Doesn't cover the space environment or propulsion as much as this book though.

u/VP1 · 3 pointsr/aerospace

Not an engineer (yet) but I've found this book to be often referenced and is a good read.
http://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Design-Conceptual-Approach-Education/dp/1600869114

u/suddenly_seymour · 1 pointr/aerospace

Bates, White, and Mueller are all co-authors of this book: Amazon link, which is commonly referred to as the "BMW" book because of their names.

Side note - it looks like there's a second edition, so might want to go for that. The first edition is fine so far to me, probably just has some outdated numbers or notations.

u/GarishRombus · 5 pointsr/aerospace

We use this book heavily at my school (undergrad). I've also heard it's pretty much a standard around the US

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Flight-John-Anderson/dp/0073380245

u/bflfab · 1 pointr/aerospace

For propulsion http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Thermodynamics-Propulsion-2nd-Edition/dp/0201146592


But don't pay anywhere near that amount. Should be able to get it used for like 20-25

u/AGULLNAMEDJON · 3 pointsr/aerospace

I agree with the others but these are also a MUST in your collection! Don’t let the titles fool you, tons of good info in both. These are the first books you’ll buy if you study aeronautical engineering (source: I’m an aeronautical engineer)

Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Testing

Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators

u/meerkatmreow · 1 pointr/aerospace

http://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Design-Conceptual-Approach-Education/dp/1600869114 is a good book on aircraft design. Focus is more on larger scale aircraft than UAVs, but the principles are similar

u/dangersandwich · 1 pointr/aerospace

Sorry, but no. I took orbital mechanics with Dr. Curtis himself and his book is pretty awful.

Instead I recommend what's been used for decades as the introductory text to orbital mechanics: Fundamentals of Astrodynamics by Bate, Mueller, & White (called 'BMW' for short). Not only is this text better in every objective sense for learning basic space mechanics, but you can buy it for $15. Curtis' book will run you the textbook racket price of $90.

u/Dr_Von_Spaceman · 1 pointr/aerospace

How would you compare Farokhi to Mattingly's Elements of Propulsion: Gas Turbines and Rockets when it comes to turbines?

u/MrScorpio · 2 pointsr/aerospace

I work for a major aircraft OEM, and in regards to aircraft structures, Bruhn's Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures is considered by almost every single one of my peers as the Bible of aerostructures. It's almost 40 years old, but it's still extremely relevant.

u/deajay · 4 pointsr/aerospace

I have a BSME, working in the space industry. The big thing I feel I was missing from my undergrad was orbital mechanics. To get the math, pick up the SME/SMAD. To get an intuitive understanding, pick up KSP. Randall is not wrong.

Your undergrad should otherwise have comparable material science, physics, mathematics and programming (matlab, python, perl, whatever) to have you on an even field. The rest of it is the time to obtain the experience.

A decade out and I can hold my own at work with any of the aero's.

u/volpes · 5 pointsr/aerospace

For structures design, the #1 referenced book is undoubtedly Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures by Bruhn.

http://www.amazon.com/Analysis-Design-Flight-Vehicle-Structures/dp/0961523409/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372022080&sr=8-1&keywords=bruhn

I don't have a copy though, and I had no idea it was that expensive. Anyone know a reasonably priced way to get it?