Finally... The Detailed Mathematical Equations That Govern Rocket Flight; And They're All In One Book.

Have you been searching for the equations that predict how high and fast a rocket will fly? Or how about the equations that determine the drag coefficient of a rocket? Maybe you wanted to know the Barrowman Method for determining the static stability of a rocket, and you couldn't find the right set of equations to use.

Your search is over. They are all contained in the massive 636-page book: Topics In Advanced Model Rocketry.

Beyond a doubt, this is the definitive book that explains the mathematical formulas behind the flights of model rockets. It was originally released in 1973 by three graduates of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who also were avid model rocketry enthusiasts. They were: Gordon K. Mandell, George J. Caporaso and William P. Bengan.

I bought this excellent book in the mid-1980's, and it changed forever the way I look at model rocketry. It took rocketry from being a simple hobby to being an educational subject worthy of exploring. I consider this book as the trigger that started my need to collect everything written about rocketry. So I have to warn customers that once you start digging into the massive amounts of information in this book, your perspective on rocketry will change like it did for me.

The book is a classic and will never be dated. The laws of physics won't change. So even though the information is over 33 years old, it is still fresh and pertinent. And therefore it can be passed down to future generations of modelers when you are done looking at it.

Topics in Advanced Model Rocketry has been out of print for over 20 years (since the mid-1980's). Since then, it has been a highly prized collectors item. I don't ever recall a single copy being sold on E-bay; they are much too valuable to part with.

But now, thanks to modern short-run printing technology, the book is again available, and I am extremely pleased to offer it here at Apogee Components.

Here is what the publisher (The MIT Press Classics Series) says about this book:

The advanced model rocketeer will find that this book allows him to predict every aspect of his model's performance. It is a comprehensive and rigorous treatment of the trajectory analysis, aerodynamics, and flight dynamics of model rockets; it contains many original methods and demonstrates a wealth of complex problems that still require solutions in model rocketry.

More specifically, Topics in Advanced Model Rocketry include methods that will enable the modeler to calculate the following: the "point-mass" approximation altitude for any rocket or cluster; the drag coefficient, normal force coefficient, damping factor, moments of inertia, restoring moments, and so forth, of his vehicle; and the dynamic behavior of his rocket, that is, oscillation frequency, amplitude, spin rate, and perturbing forces. In addition, the equations will allow the modeler to design his vehicle so that wind and other perturbing flight forces have a minimal effect on its performance.

In the past, many older modelers left the hobby of model rocketry because advanced information and challenges were lacking; now Topics in Advanced Model Rocketry can provide the veteran modeler with exactly the information he needs, while it also serves as a basis for further theoretical research in the field.

What is cool about this book is the way it was first published. It was never properly type-set, like a modern book. Even in the 1970's when this book was first printed, this was extremely rare. The text looks like it was a typewriter manuscript. All the equations were hand-written!

The original book had several errors in the formulas, and so there is an errata page that came with the book. So the first thing you'll need to do when you get the book is make a few ink changes to the few formulas that need minor correction.

Since I prize my own copy of this book so much, I've only let one person borrow it, even though dozens and dozens of people have asked. That one person was Paul Fossey. And you know the story about him, don't you?

Paul used the equations and formulas in the book to create a little software program called "RockSim." It is the RockSim software that has radically changed the way modelers design and fly rockets, as well as the way school teachers teach the subject.

But RockSim isn't the only software that used the formulas in the book. All the previous software programs, like WRASP, VCP, RocketCAD, Tom Beach's Hypercard Stack (an old Mac program) also used this book as a foundation for how they work.

So if you want to know how software such as RockSim works, you'll find out by reading this book.

This book is very heavy on the math and also has a bit of calculus too. Therefore, I don't recommend it for students in elementary school. At least, not unless they have a technically oriented adult helping them to understand some of the advanced concepts.

It is a great reference book for people wanting to really dig into how rocket performance is determined. You'll understand all the really advanced things the RockSim software does, and why it is such a great value. You certainly wouldn't want to do them by long-hand, nor spend the huge amount of time writing your own little program. That is why I also recommend getting RockSim along with this book. You'll be able to compare the simulations created by RockSim with the concepts presented in the book.

This book has been out of print for so long that you should encourage the publisher to keep it in print by creating a demand for it with your purchase. In essence, you'll be doing your part to keep this valuable book available for future modelers. When the publisher sees the strong demand for the book, they'll keep it in print this time, instead of letting it lapse into obscurity.

Go ahead and order it now! You'll be glad you did, and you'll gain a wealth of information that isn't available anywhere else.