Essays on the motion of celestial bodies. Transl. from the Russian by Andrei Iacob. (English) Zbl 0974.70002

Beletsky, V. V.

Basel: Birkhäuser. 372 p. (2001).

This is no book for beginners, it is a book for lovers of celestial mechanics. In twelve chapters, in the book called essays, the author discusses special problems of artificial satellites. The main theme is the mechanics of space flight. Methods of theoretical mechanics, celestial mechanics, technological sciences and many fields of mathematics are involved. All kinds of orbit resonances and disturbances are addressed and discussed in different length, including some actual problems. Some minor flaws are detected, but one on page 134 must be corrected: l kiloparsec (kpc) \(= 3.262\cdot 10^3\) lightyears. The book is primarily suited for research people and for students specialising in celestial mechanics.
Table of Contents:
The Beginning of a New Style in the Scientific Literature (from the review of the first edition of V. V. Beletskiĭ’s “Essays” (1971) by V. I. Arnold and Ya. B. Zeldovich, Priroda, No. 10, 1973, 115–117. (vii–viii);
On the Unperturbed and Perturbed Motion of a Satellite, with a Digression on Asymptotic Methods of Nonlinear Mechanics (1–41);
On the Rebirth of an Old Problem, or what Happens if two Masses are Placed at a Purely Imaginary Distance from one Another (43-64);
Yet Another Reincarnation of an Old Problem (65–87);
Motion of the Worlds (89–120);
The Restricted Three-body Problem, Flight to the Moon, and Galactic Evolution (121–138);
They are Waltzing in Orbits (139–206);
In a Spiral to Space (207–226);
The Full Force of the Sun Blows in the Sails (227–243);
The Gravity Flyer (245–264);
Interplanetary Flights: Low Thrusts for High Goals (265–299);
Relative Motion of Orbiting Bodies (301–335);
Cosmic Pinwheel (337–351).
References (353–368) are given for each essay individually. Subject index (369–370) and Author index (371–372).

Reviewer: Johannes Viktor Feitzinger (Bochum)

MSC:

70-02	Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to mechanics of particles and systems
70F15	Celestial mechanics
70E99	Dynamics of a rigid body and of multibody systems
70M20	Orbital mechanics

Keywords:

celestial mechanics; artificial satellites; space flight; orbit resonances