Fundamentals of Aerospace Engineering

The field of engineering which focuses on the development of spacecraft and aircraft is known as aerospace engineering. This field is closely related to the fields of aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. There are a number of areas which are studied under aerospace engineering such as radar cross-section, astrodynamics, avionics and aeroelasticity. Radar-cross-section measures the detectability of objects by radars. The practical problems regarding the motion of spacecraft are handled by astrodynamics through the use of ballistics and celestial mechanics. Avionics deals with the designing and programming of the computer systems in a spacecraft. Aeroelasticity studies the interaction between aerodynamic, elastic and inertial forces. It takes place when an elastic body is exposed to fluid flow. This book is a valuable compilation of topics, ranging from the basic to the most complex advancements in the field of aerospace engineering. It presents the complex subject of aerospace engineering in the most comprehensible and easy to understand language. This book will serve as a valuable source of reference for graduate and postgraduate students.