How Spacecraft Fly: Spaceflight Without Formulae [Paperback]

The aim of this popular science text is to explain aerodynamic and astrodynamic flight without the use of mathematics, in an informal style, for non-technical readers who are interested in spaceflight and spacecraft.

The book will open with a concise introductory chapter, chronicling the space age up to the present, and a brief forward look into near-future developments. Chapter 2 provides the historical context upon which the current developments in spaceflight have been built. Orbital motion will be introduced in Chapter 3, and how to get there using launch vehicles is addressed in Chapter 4. Chapters 5 and 6 look at how spacecraft are designed, and Chapter 7 addresses the additional design constraints imposed if the spacecraft has a human crew on board. Chapter 8 gives examples of current and proposed spacecraft missions, both Earth orbiting and interplanetary. Chapter 9 will look at near future manned flight developments  for example, a mission to Mars and/or space tourism. The book closes with a concluding chapter, which reflects on prospects for the future of robotic and manned space exploration.

From the reviews:

Fortunately Graham Swinerd, reader in astronautics at the University of Southampton, has penned... a maths-free guidebook... if only all popular science books were as clearly presented! (Four out of five stars, Sean Blair, Sky at Night Magazine, May 2009)

There is a great deal of useful information that you do not find readily elsewhere and given the rather dry nature of the subject, the book is written in a lucid and engaging style that makes enjoyable reading... (Robin Flegg, Astronomy Now, May