Introduction to Astronautics

This book explains how researchers design, prepare, develop, test and fly their science experiments on microgravity platforms before sending them to space. All preparation phases are explained and presented, including aircraft parabolic flights as part of spaceflight preparation.

This book provides a general introduction to fluid mechanics in the form of biographies and popular science. Based on the author’s extensive teaching experience, it combines natural science and human history, knowledge inheritance and cognition law to replace abstract concepts of fluid mechanics with intuitive and understandable physical concepts. In seven chapters, it describes the development of fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, experimental fluid dynamics, wind tunnel and water tunnel equipment, the mystery of flight and aerodynamic principles, and leading figures in fluid mechanics in order to spark beginners’ interest and allow them to gain a comprehensive understanding of the field’s development. It also provides a list of references for further study.

Fundamental Astronomy gives a well-balanced and comprehensive introduction to the various fields of classical and modern astronomy. While emphasizing both the astronomical concepts and the underlying physical principles, the text provides a sound basis for more profound studies in the astronomical sciences.

This book was designed to serve as a basic guide on the uses and characteristics of space systems, including astronautics and its applications, technology in the space environment, rocket vehicles, propulsion systems, propellants, internal power sources, structures and materials, flight path and orientation control, guidance, communication, observation and tracking, and atmospheric flight.

This book is an introduction for the lay reader to understand the basics of flight. The exposure is to the mysteries of lift generation by wings and the basic function of the jet propulsion engine. The text relies on simple descriptions of the physics of air flow without unduly involving mathematics. The text is richly illustrated with sketches and photographs to enrich verbal descriptions.

The European Flight Mechanics Action Group FM-AG(16) on Fault Tolerant Control, established in 2004 and concluded in 2008, represented a collaboration involving thirteen European partners from industry, universities and research establishments under the auspices of the Group for Aeronautical Research and Technology in Europe (GARTEUR) program. The book consists of five parts.