Astrodynamics, Space Missions, And Chaos

Summary: The subject of astroxlynamics is of particular interest at this critical jucture for America's space program in view of President Bush's initiative for establishing a human base on the moon and planning a manned Mars mission. This initiative was triggered by the spectacular landing of the robotic rover Spirit on Mars. This volume, based on a conference sponsored by NASA and Princeton University, comprises papers on t...he applications of chaos and dynamical systems to mission design, low-energy lunar transfers (of particular interest for establishing a lunar base), dynamics of asteroid pairs, asteroidal dust, formation flying, and other topics. There are also papers on propulsion, orbit dynamics including resonance transitions. This volume is of value to mathematicians for its discussion of chaos-related issues, astroxlynamicists with state of the art methods, dynamical astronomers, and planetary geologists for its blueprint for the methodology of future space exploration. It is also of value to engineers for its discussion of innovations in space propulsion systems. It is a must-read for commercial, economic, and military policymakers. [read more]