Try "Adventures In Celestial Mechanics" by Victor Szebehely (ISBN
0-292-75105-2). I don't know if it's "for dummies", but I remember
regarding it as particularly accessible, especially when compared to some of
the other texts on my bookshelf. It's also cool that the author is (or at
least was at the time of publication) affiliated with my alma mater The
University of Texas at Austin.

Hope you enjoy it!
Kip

--
Kip Ingram Online: On Science, Technology, and Rational Thought
http://www.kipingram.com

"Steve Mazerski" wrote in message
om...
I'm a non-astrophysicist who has recently rekindled a
long-standing interest in space and especially manned
space flight. For mainly escapist reasons I like to think
about the economics and mechanics of space travel, and
I have begun to realise just how little I know about the
subject.

Though I have long accepted e.g. the principle of gravitational
assists through orbital flybys, until recently I was of the
vague impression that gravity diminishes very quickly in
space which is why occupants of orbiting vehicles appeared
weightless...

Well, with a lot of thought I think I have grasped the basics
and know the difference between orbital and escape velocity
and that kind of thing. 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?
I am imagining something along the lines of a none-existent
"Orbital Mechanics for Dummies".

TIA

S.Mazerski