Overview

Rocket Science. Two words which are synonymous with complexity. Two words which for many people signify the zenith of human genius. A phrase which has entered the English lexicon to describe the toughest discipline in human endeavour. Author Alfred Zaehringer has a unique perspective on both the phrase and the discipline. In this book, his first about space in nearly forty years, Alfred Zaehringer uses his lifetime of experience to take the mystery out of the phrase he coined. Beginning with a short history of the birth of rocketry he moves into an explanation of the physics that makes it possible to use rockets to fly in space. Leaving no stone unturned he moves on to the politics and economics of space-flight before providing a detailed cross-section of mans different uses of the reaction rocket to fly into the heavens. Finally he looks at the proposals for future methods of space transportation and looks at the many promising new technologies which may offer cheaper access to space.

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9781894959865

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"2When my copy of Rocket Science came, I had originally intended to skim and pass on to a colleague. But it is a keeper!"" -- Virginia Trimble The Observatory December 2009"

2When my copy of Rocket Science came, I had originally intended to skim and pass on to a colleague. But it is a keeper! -- Virginia Trimble The Observatory December 2009

Author Information

"Alfred Zaehringer started out by building his own rockets and then, in World War II, saw V-1's and V-2's in use against London. Moving onto the continent, he fired at them on the front lines in Germany, and also came under the attack of the first jet and rocket fighters when he crossed the Remagen Bridge. Earning his engineering degree after the war, he formed the Detroit Rocket Society and coined the term ""rocket science"" and became editor of ""Rocketscience"" the DRS Journal. Mr Zaehringer's first professional rocket experience came at the University of Michigan, where he dealt with anti-missile and rocket programs. Then he joined the fledging Thiokol Chemical Company and became chief test engineer. Following this he went on to the Grand Central Rocket Company, where he worked on the upper stage motor for America's first satellite. Next, he formed the American Rocket Company, where he worked on a number of rocket systems. With the Apollo program, he worked on up-rating the Saturn C-5, and the manned Mars program. Moving to Martin, he was with a solid rocket management group that looked at solid strap-ons and their effects.Coming back to LTV Aerospace in Michigan, he worked on the solid propellant gas generator for the Lance battlefield missile. He and virtually the entire propulsion group then moved to Ford Motor Company where he did engineering work on EGR valves, fuel injectors, and fuel vapor management. After retiring in 1995 Zaehringer has continuously devoted his time t Steve Whitfield is a veteran of the computer electronics and aerospace industries, and currently works as a technical and science editor."

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