Understanding Air and Space Vehicles

Understanding Air and Space Vehicles provides a distinctive view of comparative and contrasting features of all flying vehicles, within and outside the atmosphere, with examples drawn from recent developments on flight vehicles in India. It addresses all aspects of flying vehicles - aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, control, guidance and navigation, and their influence on the flight performance at a level of detail that is suited both for armchair reading and a moderately rigorous study. Birds vs. Aircraft or Helicopter, Aircraft vs. Rocket-based vehicles are examined for their commonalities and differences. The examples from contemporary developments with specially constructed tables and graphs used to illustrate the ideas and concepts provide the book with an added dimension. It can be read by all who have an interest in gaining an understanding of what, where and why of different types of aerospace vehicles -certainly for an incisive eagle's view!

Prof. H.S. Mukunda is an acknowledged expert on combustion and aerospace propulsion and has done path-breaking work in the field of combustion science relevant to missiles, aerospace vehicles, and industrial combustion devices. In a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, he has made significant scientific and academic contributions in the combustion of gaseous, liquid and solid fuels both inert and reactive. He has shown great facility in developing science based clean combustion of biomass for domestic and industrial applications and involved himself in technology transfer for wider use.

This is an important book, especially for students whose first encounter with aerospace engineering occurs at the Masters level (as it often happens at Indi an Institute of Science where there is no undergraduate course on the subject). In many cases there are courses on the scientific fundamentals of subjects like aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, control and stability etc. Looking at this book I couldn't help recalling my own experience when I joined the Institute for what is now called the ME course, straight from a BE degree in mechanical engineering. I found that I was learning the science behind the aircraft without any real feel for the aircraft itself, till I came across a book by AC Kermode called Flight Mechanics (now in its eleventh edition). That book took me to a different but fascinating world, and helped make connections with the basic scientific course.

Over early years as a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Science, I had always felt struck by the complexity and beauty of the functioning of aeronautical and space vehicles with many aspects of aerodynamics, structural elements, propulsive devices and navigational aids for flight control being seamlessly integrated. I wanted to share this joy in a rigorous way through a course to masters and graduate students interested in appreciating the connectivity amongst all these disciplines in achieving the remarkable performance in air craft and missiles. While the first course on this theme with focus on aircraft was delivered in 1971, due to other commitments, it was not done again for a long time. Towards 1997, it was felt that the "general knowledge" of students appearing for their comprehensive examination was deteriorating despite major achievements in India - SLV, PSLV having had successful launches and the light combat aircraft crossing several milestones in a string of rigorous test programs before induction into the Indian Air Force.

**Contents and Sample Pages**