Spacecraft Systems Engineering

I am really split about this book.Surely, it has A LOT of content and at an attractive price. It has a lot of details and covers many subtopics.My main issue with it is the poor continuity. Each chapter is written by different authors (well, a few of them, I'd say I've seen at least a dozen names total if not more). There is some repetition, some very basic things are explained several times, which would be fine if they were not just the very basic ones but the more complicated ones to understand. On the other hand, some complex notions are succinctly explained with no diagrams, and sometime assuming non-trivial prerequisites. Overall, I feel the level of explanation is unbalanced. A whole page may be dedicated to reexplaining something that was extensively covered earlier, while sometime a gross reference like "see chapter X" (chapters are maybe 40 pages on average) is used when in my opinion it would make sense to redevelop the idea a bit.There is very little numerical applications in my opinion. Many formulas are given, but without proper quantification with real examples.Also, there is very little about on board computers. Don't expect to learn anything about this subject. I think this is a major flaw when you think how critical these systems are today.I would still recommend this book, but definitely not as a sole reading on the subject.

The Spacecraft Systems Engineering, 4th edition, is one of the better books I have read so far on this subject. The strong points are clarity, subject matter coverage, and updated information. All the areas of spacecraft systems engineering are covered at an intermediate level of theory and mathematical formulation. One area that is slightly lacking, and can use more detail is the human space flight vehicle e.g., the NASA Orion spacecraft (renamed as MPCV), otherwise a very good and practical book for a spacecraft systems engineer.

Great source for technical references. Thorough and comprehensive. Could have been written to be a little more readable and user friendly...but overall a good resource.

An exceptional text! Far reaching and comprehensive. Extremely well written and edited. One of the finer, more informative and interesting reads I have come across in a long time. Well worth the cost and certainly worthy of a second review of many of the topics covered. It has garnered a place on my bookshelf for many years to come. A tip of the hat and kudos to the authors!

It has a very wide and detailed coverage. Excellent to get a general perspective on systems engineering, specially as applied to earth orbiting satelites and probes.

Excellent transaction No problem of any kind All as advertised Recommended Would buy again Rated A+

Exciting page turner. I recommend this for your kids.

Great book for bachelor level graduates interested in space engineering.

The book covers a lot of material. It is quite clear and I think will make a good reference book for systems general knowledge. (For people like me who need to constantly refresh their memories.)

the material in the book covers every aspect of spacecraft. very informative with good references

I'm reviewing this book as a system engineer working on the next generation of european launchers. I bought it to learn more about the requirements that the payload put on the launcher trajectory and required performances.The book covers almost all aspects involved in the design of a spacecraft and so is really good for someone who wants to know all the disciplines which are put to work. But, it also means that the book can only brush all those topics without diving in all the technical details. It must be considered as a guidebook, helping you remember all the steps to take into account while working on a design and not a jack of all trade book.Also, I've found some errors but didn't check yet if there is an offical correction update.So, TL;DR, if you are a student on the subject or, like me, someone who wants to know more about this subject, go for it. If you are into the business, stay with multiple, more advanced book each covering a single topic unless you want a "reminder".

It is a very sound work - Valuable as an " all round " reference book ..........

Good deal on the set book for OU MSc F77 though if I'd known a legitimate eBook version was available in the course resources I wouldn't have bothered with the dead tree edition. But this is a book in desperate need of an update. The space shuttle isn't still flying, we have sent a spacecraft to Pluto and beyond and the discussions of electronics and computing belong in a history book not a current edition university text book