Aerospace Engineering Textbook Recommendations

Can anyone recommend a solid textbook for learning aerospace engineering? I have a job and a family so I don't have the ability to return to school but I'd like to develop a "curriculum" for myself so I can build a robust knowledge base and try to keep up with the professionals out there. If you studied rocketry in college, I'd be especially interested in hearing what textbooks were assigned in those classes.

Sutton, Rocket Propulsion Elements

JCRL said:

Can anyone recommend a solid textbook for learning aerospace engineering? I have a job and a family so I don't have the ability to return to school but I'd like to develop a "curriculum" for myself so I can build a robust knowledge base and try to keep up with the professionals out there. If you studied rocketry in college, I'd be especially interested in hearing what textbooks were assigned in those classes.

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How much do you want to know? More importantly, how much do you know now? Are you comfortable with partial differential equations? Ever had a class in fluid dynamics or thermodynamics/statistical mechanics?

If you've got the math and physics, there are some texts on archive.org that will fill the gaps (when you realize that you have encountered a gap).

In the meantime, start here

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/short.html

jlabrasca said:

How much do you want to know? More importantly, how much do you know now? Are you comfortable with partial differential equations? Ever had a class in fluid dynamics or thermodynamics/statistical mechanics?

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My last science class was high school physics and my last math class was Calculus. I have no experience with fluid dynamics or thermodynamics/statistical mechanics. My wife is a mathematician so I have some help, but my background is in the law; not the sciences. I'm very passionate about learning the engineering but I am starting from scratch.

You may find these foundational documents interesting. The Barrowman equations are used in the most common design and flight simulation programs: Rocksim and OpenRocket.

www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/manuals/tir-33.pdf
www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/manuals/tir-30.pdf
https://argoshpr.ch/joomla1/articles/pdf/sentinel39-galejs.pdf

JCRL said:

Can anyone recommend a solid textbook for learning aerospace engineering?

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There is no single text. I recommend that you visit the web site for the college of your choice and look at what courses they require for a degree. You should be able to find that and course descriptions. Then find which text they use. (The books will be shockingly expensive.)

for example

Nice username UhClem. Isn't that Firesign Theater?

You might want to start with "Handbook of Model Rocketry" by G. Harry Stine, if you have not done so already. I found an used version on line that cost less than a pack of D engines. It's a bit dated, but the fundamental principles remain the same. I have the same college background as you. I found the chapter "How high will it go?" to be a good place to knock off rust from some math skills that haven't been flexed for a long time

@UhClem tell me about it, Introduction to Space Law set me back $125

@Joekeyo I have the 7th edition of Stine's Handbook. It gets recommend here all the time so I'm glad that it was a good purchase (bought before joining TRF)

If you want a good text book on aerodynamics I would recommend "Fundamentals of Aerodynamics" by Anderson. I have the hardcopy of this and found it a great read. Starts at the basics and works up to hypersonics. The good news is that I have seen a free PDF of this on the interweb somewhere .

His "Introduction to Flight" is also a worthy read. It includes a well-written early history of flight as well. Also available in free pdf!

My son graduated from UT Austin with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and now works for SpaceX also recommends “Fundamentals of Aerodynamics” by John D Anderson Jr. as a good book. But he did say that aerospace covers a lot of ground so it’s hard to be sure it is right for you. He’s more into the propulsion side of things which is obviously a lot different than modeling rocket designs. Currently he is hard at work testing the Raptor engine which is a big part of SpaceX’s future plans.


Tony

manixFan said:

...aerospace covers a lot of ground...

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>smile<

https://www.engr.washington.edu/files/curr_students/docs/AA_reqs.pdf

A sample curriculum for a B.S. Degree -- the math starts with D.Q., Matrix Algebra, and Adv. M.V. Calc.

Nytrunner said:

Sutton, Rocket Propulsion Elements

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This might be another candidate for a sticky topic, along with "If You Are Here Because You Saw A Cool Homemade Rocket On Youtube" and "Yes, Somebody Has Tried Launching Rockets From High Altitude Balloons"

For the OP

https://www.wired.com/story/a-rocket-built-by-students-reached-space-for-the-first-time/

I don't think it is possible to sum up 4 years of a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace in one book. I got a BS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering back in 1970. That college recently changed the name to aerospace engineering. I would be tempted to say look at Shapiro's book on compressible flow, but that just gets you started into the basics of compressible flow without the detailed applications and assumes that you know or can quickly learn thermodynamics and that you know f=ma inside and out. If you want to see how basic equations are applied to model rocketry, you might check out this website:

https://www.rocketmime.com/rockets/rckt_eqn.html

Take a look at the courses offered at some of the online learning sites like edX.org

aerostadt said:

I don't think it is possible to sum up 4 years of a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace in one book.

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In no way I am expecting that, just hoping to find a good place to start because I would like to learn why the rockets are built the way they are and how to make them better, rather than "it's don't this way, because that's how it's done".

Edx has many free courses from MIT. Can’t beat the price.

https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-aerodynamics

https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-astronautics-and-human-spaceflight

The Anderson aero book is a great. He also has a text “Aircraft Performance & Design” that is more practical.

Well... If your math background is solid (up to calculus levels) AIAA publishes an educator series, a couple of which we used when I studied Aerospace engineering back in the early 90's. The two that come to mind are Areothermodynamics of Gas Turbine and Rocket Propulsion Revised and Enlarged, and Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach. While they are not all-encompassing and comprehensive, they do touch on most generalities between the two. For example the the thermodynamics are good enough to get a general knowlede of rocket design, however it's only a starting point to then proceed to more specific course work on Gas Turbine Cumbustion, Gas Dynamics, then Heat Transfer etc.

Yeah, sure. Maybe you can return the favor.

I would like to be a lawyer, but I have a job and family, so I don't have the ability to go to law school. I have no background, but I did join the debate club in high school. Is that good enough? I want to be as knowledgeable as the professionals who went to school, are licensed, and who practice law for a living. Can you recommend one textbook that explains every aspect of law so I can simply homeschool myself? A book without a lot of big words would be best ...

Buckeye said:

Yeah, sure. Maybe you can return the favor.

I would like to be a lawyer, but I have a job and family, so I don't have the ability to go to law school. I have no background, but I did join the debate club in high school. Is that good enough? I want to be as knowledgeable as the professionals who went to school, are licensed, and who practice law for a living. Can you recommend one textbook that explains every aspect of law so I can simply homeschool myself? A book without a lot of big words would be best ...

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I don't think this is a fair restatement of OPs request: they asked for a starting point to develop a curriculum to become an adept amateur.

If you want to drive out to Black Rock to launch Wills & Trusts, be my guest :-D

dhbarr said:

I don't think this is a fair restatement of OPs request: they asked for a starting point to develop a curriculum to become an adept amateur.

If you want to drive out to Black Rock to launch Wills & Trusts, be my guest :-D

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He (not they) said in post #1 that he wants to hang with aerospace professionals by reading one textbook. That is extremely naive and insulting to engineers. My reply is "illustrating absurdity by being absurd" (famous Rush Limbaugh quote).

Oh, yeah. My wife took a semester of Latin as an undergrad. So, she can help me with those fancy legal terms...

Buckeye said:

He (not they) said in post #1 that he wants to hang with aerospace professionals by reading one textbook. That is extremely naive and insulting to engineers. My reply is "illustrating absurdity by being absurd" (famous Rush Limbaugh quote).

Oh, yeah. My wife took a semester of Latin as an undergrad. So, she can help me with those fancy legal terms...

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JCRL said:

In no way I am expecting that, just hoping to find a good place to start because I would like to learn why the rockets are built the way they are and how to make them better, rather than "it's don't this way, because that's how it's done".

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Perhaps a later part of this thread where the author further clarifies would also be illuminating.

That sentiment from JCRL that dhbarr quoted? That curiosity and interest in learning should not be mocked or discouraged.