The
common perception of Celestial
Mechanics is that of a discipline which needs advanced mathematics and
astronomy to be understood. Yet modern Celestial
Mechanics has a rather different taste and a truly
interdisciplinary nature. The
number of celestial objects known to mankind has dramatically increased, the
long-awaited presence of extrasolar planets has been eventually detected
around other stars, spaceflight dynamics has brought new applications
encompassing rocked dynamics, the place-in-orbit of artificial satellites
and interplanetary mission design. Solar System exploration has grown as a
long term strategy for the construction of a permanent base on the Moon and
a manned mission to Mars.The aim of the book is to show to the people at
large, as well as to a more skilled audience, the many fascinating aspects
of modern celestial mechanics. After giving to the reader the necessary
technical tools needed for a basic understanding of the underlying physical
phenomena (using only elementary mathematics), facts and figures are
provided on historical events, modern discoveries and future applications.
Contents are divided into major topics where the three "souls" of
modern celestial mechanics (dynamical
systems, Solar System & stellar systems, spaceflight dynamics) play
a major role. As an example, spin-orbit resonances can be explained using
fractional algebra and subsequently described in action as "cosmic
spinning tops". Easily observable effects such as the existence of a
"dark side of the Moon" (and of many other satellites) can be
compared to the "complete synchronous rotation" achieved by a
geostationary telecommunication satellite in order to be always in view of
the receiving parabolas on the ground. On longer time scales, the
consequences of spin-orbit interaction may dramatically change the evolution
of a planet when chaos enters the scene and must be taken into account in
searching habitable planets around other stars.
