Applied Rocket Propulsion provides a thorough, practical treatment of the engineering principles used in the analysis and design of rocket propulsion devices. Whilst the emphasis is on chemical propulsion, 3 chapters are devoted to the new technologies of electric propulsion. The physical principles are applied using derivations as appropriate, examples, and suggested problems; where possible, the physics of rocket propulsion are established in detail from first principles. Fundamental concepts based on the conservation equations are examined with rigor, building up to and including a complete performance analysis.

There is no comprehensive professional level book currently available that describes the technical details at a level sufficient to enable the engineering design of a complete rocket propulsion system. Based on industry-focussed short courses taught by the author at the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, Huntsville, AL; the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; the CIA, Washington, DC; and the University of Kansas short course program on the topics of Solid Propellant Rocket Propulsion, and Liquid Propellant Rocket Propulsion, Applied Rocket Propulsion addresses this need.