Welcome to this interactive curriculum on the mathematics and physics behind launching and recovering space vehicles. In this notebook, we will build a comprehensive understanding of the underlying math, coordinate systems, and physics that allow engineers to determine launch windows, orbital trajectories, reentry paths, and landing coordinates for real-world spacecraft.
Overview of the Notebook
This notebook is structured to guide you step-by-step through the essential topics required for space mission planning. We begin with fundamental mathematical concepts such as algebra, trigonometry, and coordinate systems, and progressively build up to advanced topics like orbital mechanics, trajectory optimization, and reentry dynamics. Each section includes interactive Python examples and visualizations to help reinforce the concepts and illustrate how real-world physics is applied in space missions.