[thatcherc]

BMW is a fun one! It is definitely meant for Air Force cadets in the early 70s (and the introduction says as much) so it's pretty approachable with a college freshman physics and calc background. The final "homework problem" is to stitch together the radar ranging, orbit determination, Lambert problem solving, and rocket guidance assignments from the previous chapters into a complete ICBM defense system. Pretty wild. And I think most of the code examples are in assembly.

As the author mentions, you can pick up a copy for well under $20. I'd say it's worth it for the 1960s-style diagrams and figures alone!

[tzs]

> As the author mentions, you can pick up a copy for well under $20.

It's a Dover edition. They love getting textbooks that are decades old and making inexpensive but decent quality paperback editions. In fast moving fields Dover editions may be out of date, but if the fundamentals haven't changed much a Dover book can be a great way to get started.

To a good first approximation if you are interested in some area of STEM and would be fine with an approach that doesn't include the last couple of decades are so of developments Dover is a good place to start.

[frayesto]

BMW is a classic from my time at USAFA. It's a great book and ideal for those beginning in Astrodynamics.

I bought it from an upperclassman for 25 cents.

Still on my shelf and I used it to design my own astrodynamics course to teach during grad school.

[CmdrLoskene]

I found BMW when I was in college and found it eminently readable. One reason is that I had previously read Arthur Clarke's Interplanetary Flight, and the other reason is the delightful historical background that BMW sprinkled throughout the book. I am not an aerospace engineer by training or by trade, but it was always my dream.

[ethbr0]

Ordered, and just in time for my finishing Ignition. Might as well harness the current interest to learn some new math. :)