Aerospace Engineering on the Back of an Envelope [Paperback]

Engineers need to acquire Back-of-the-Envelope survival skills to obtain rough quantitative answers to real-world problems, particularly when working on projects with enormous complexity and very limited resources. In the case studies treated in this book, we show step-by-step examples of the physical arguments and the resulting calculations obtained using the quick-fire method. We also demonstrate the estimation improvements that can be obtained through the use of more detailed physics-based Back-of-the-Envelope engineering models. These different methods are used to obtain the solutions to a number of design and performance estimation problems arising from two of the most complex real-world engineering projects: the Space Shuttle and the Hubble Space Telescope satellite.

Engineers need to acquire Back-of-the-Envelope survival skills to obtain rough quantitative answers to real-world problems. This volume offers step-by-step examples of the quick-fire method, and demonstrates more detailed physics-based engineering models.

Space Shuttle Performance Estimates.- Columbia Shuttle Accident Analysis.- Reentry and Landing of the Orbiter.- Hubble Space Telescope Design.- Solenoid Robot Kicker Design using BotE Techniques.Engineers need to acquire Back-of-the-Envelope survival skills to obtain rough quantitative answers to real-world problems, particularly when working on projects with enormous complexity and very limited resources. In the case studies treated in this book, we show step-by-step examples of the physical arguments and the resulting calculations obtained using the quick-fire method. We also demonstrate the estimation improvements that can be obtained through the use of more detailed physics-based Back-of-the-Envelope engineering models. These different methods are used to obtain the solutions to a number of design and performance estimation problems arising from two of the most complex real-world engineering projects: the Space Shuttlel3