Interplanetary Astrodynamics

Focusing on the orbital mechanics tools and techniques necessary to design, predict, and guide a trajectory of a spacecraft traveling between two or more bodies in a Solar System, this book covers the dynamical theory necessary for describing the motion of bodies in space, examines the N-body problem, and shows applications using this theory for designing interplanetary missions. While most orbital mechanics books focus primarily on Earth-orbiting spacecraft, with a brief discussion of interplanetary missions, this book reverses the focus and emphasizes the interplanetary aspects of space missions. Written for instructors, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, this book provides advanced details of interplanetary trajectory design, navigation, and targeting.

Dr. David Spencer is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, in State College, Pennsylvania. His research areas include: spacecraft dynamics and controls, trajectory optimization, theoretical and applied astrodynamics, space systems engineering, space traffic management, orbital debris dynamics and space technology development.

He began his career as a Member of the Technical Staff in the Astrodynamics Department at The Aerospace Corporation. He then worked for the Air Force Research Laboratory in various positions in the Space Vehicles Directorate. He joined the faculty at The Pennsylvania State University in 1999 and retired as an emeritus professor in 2021. He is now back at The Aerospace Corporation as a Senior Staff member. He is a Full Member of the International Academy of Astronautics, a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society, an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a former Associate Editor for the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.

Dr. Spencer received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky, an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University, an M.B.A. from Penn State, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Dr. Davide Conte is an Assistant Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Prescott, Arizona. His research areas include: trajectory optimization, theoretical and applied astrodynamics, space systems engineering, space mission design, and proximity operations.

Dr. Conte was born in Genova, Italy, where he lived and attended school until the age of seventeen. He then received a scholarship to attend the Altoona Area High School in Altoona, Pennsylvania, as an American Field Service (AFS) scholar. He later returned to his hometown in Italy to complete his high school diploma at Liceo Scientific S. Maria ad Nives, in Genova Pegli, Italy. Dr. Conte then moved to the United States to attend The Pennsylvania State University, where he received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, a B.S. in Mathematics, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. He joined the faculty in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019, where he has been leading a variety of competition-driven space mission design projects, and where he teaches and does research in astrodynamics and space mission design.

He is a Member of the American Astronautical Society and a Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.