Atmospheric and Space Flight Dynamics

Modern aerospace vehicles, such as the space shuttle, other launch vehicles, and long-range ballistic missiles, do not discriminate between atmospheric and space flight. Most texts on flight dynamics, however, make this artificial distinction and therefore do not simultaneously cover aircraft and spacecraft. Bridging this gap in the literature, Atmospheric and Space Flight Dynamics is a unified presentation, demonstrating that the two disciplines have actually evolved from the same set of physical principles. Key features include numerical examples and simulations that utilize MATLAB® and Simulink®; realistic and instructive simulations that are usually not found in books on the same topic; and examples that allow readers to easily build their own simulations for aircraft, missiles, launch vehicles, reentry vehicles, and spacecraft. Primarily useful as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate-level students, the work is also an excellent reference or self-study guide for researchers and practitioners in aerospace engineering, aviation, mechanical engineering, dynamics, astrodynamics, aeronautics, and astronautics.