In article ,
Steve Mazerski wrote:
...What I am looking for now is a
basic but solid introduction into orbital / space flight
mechanics, e.g. how to calculate what energy is needed
to take an object from point A to point B, what is a delta V etc.
Can anyone recommend introductory books on the subject?

At the moment, I'm not aware of a gentle "For Dummies" introduction that
proceeds far enough to give you a useful technical grounding, alas.

The best introductory text I've seen is Prussing&Conway's "Orbital
Mechanics", but it is a university text, so it may be slow going for an
absolute beginner or someone short on math background.

If you have a good library on hand, you might look for Max Hunter's
"Thrust Into Space", but it is loooooong out of print (and essentially
impossible to find on the used market).

(And one unrecommendation: Bate/Mueller/White's "Fundamentals of
Astrodynamics" is popular but in my opinion not very good. Its sole
virtue is that it's cheap. Might be worth experimenting with if P&C
proves unsatisfactory.)
--
MOST launched 1015 EDT 30 June, separated 1046, | Henry Spencer
first ground-station pass 1651, all nominal! |