Rocket Science: From Fireworks to the Photon Drive

This is a book about rocket science: what it is and what it does. From the earliest fireworks to nuclear-powered spacecraft, all you would ever want or need to know about the subject is here, along with a straightforward explanation of how, why and when things work-or sometimes don't. We begin with the history and workings of early terrestrial rocketry before moving onto the main subject of the book: how we get things into space and, on occasion, back again. Entirely math-free, the chapters weave together innumerable anecdotes, real-world examples, and easy walk-throughs to help readers break down the complex physics behind some of humankind's most amazing feats. Neither a pure textbook nor a populist space travel tome, the book will educate, inform and above all entertain anyone intrigued by rocket science. Dr MARK DENNY pursued research in theoretical physics at Edinburgh University and Oxford University, before embarking on a 20-year career in the aerospace industry as a radar and sonar systems engineer. He authored over fifty technical papers on many subjects in physics and engineering. Mark is now retired and lives on Vancouver Island in western Canada, where he has written fourteen popular science books. Dr ALAN MCFADZEAN conducted research in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Universities of Saint Andrews, Central Lancashire and Birmingham, UK which gave him his first exposure to space-based platforms. He then moved on to a career in engineering, working on both airborne radar and metering systems for oil and gas production, although not at the same time. Alan lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is his second popular science book.