Rocket Science: From Fireworks to the Photon Drive

by Mark Denny

This is a book about rocket science: what it is and what it does. From the earliest fireworks to nuclear-powered spacecraft, all you would ever want or need to know about the subject is here, along with a straightforward explanation of how, why and when things work—or sometimes don't. 

We begin with the history and workings of early terrestrial rocketry before moving onto the main subject of the book: how we get things into space and, on occasion, back again. Entirely math-free, the chapters weave together innumerable anecdotes, real-world examples, and easy walk-throughs to help readers break down the complex physics behind some of humankind’s most amazing feats. 

Neither a pure textbook nor a populist space travel tome, the book will educate, inform and above all entertain anyone intrigued by rocket science. 

Genres: Science, Physics

314 pages, Paperback

Published October 11, 2019

About the author

Started writing in 2005, after 20 years working for a living...In fact, writing is work, of course, but I mean that I like it a lot more than the 9-to-5 grind of my office job (research engineer for a multinational aerospace corporation).

Ingenium was my first book, and I guess it shows, but I still have a great fondness for it. I was approached out of the blue by the editor of Johns Hopkins University Press who had seen a bunch of my published papers on historically important machines--he thought they could form the basis of an interesting popular science book. So I wrote it; the reviews were kind. I've recently completed my tenth book.

Reviews

[Chitranshu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for books that could help in understanding technology in a simplistic way. Though it might be a heavy read for someone who is not from a science background the book is engaging. A must-read for someone who wants to know how the rocket works. The starts with the history of rockets and with where we are heading.

[Steve Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typically dense Denny work. No idea why he had to point out that all the rocket pioneers were white men - who cares? Does identity politics have to intrude even here?