Elements of Spacecraft Design

This text is drawn from the author’s years of experience in spacecraft design culminating in his leadership of the Magellan Venus orbiter spacecraft design from concept through launch. The work also benefits from his years of teaching spacecraft design at Colorado University and for AIAA as a home study short course. The work presents a broad view of the complete spacecraft. The objective is to explain the thought and analysis that goes into the creation of a spacecraft with simplicity and with enough worked examples so that the reader can be self-taught if necessary.