Reddit reviews Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants (Rutgers University Press Classics)

SpaceX has done nothing innovative in rocketry. Their innovation is purely on the business side. Reusable launch vehicles existed long before SpaceX, all the way back to the 50s. The technology wasn't leveraged back then because launch cost mattered a lot less than performance.

All of the tech being used by SpaceX today was invented in the 50s and 60s and then shelved, including methane engines, reusable SSTOs, and even more 'futuristic' technologies like aerospike engines that still haven't yet been resurrected. Even when it comes to economies of scale, SpaceX is only executing on a pretty tame strategy. For extreme economy at extreme scale, there's the Sea Dragon.

If you want to get a grasp on how advanced rocketry was in the 50/60s and how little we've come since then, I suggest the amazingly written Ignition! by John D Clark, one of the pioneers of the field.

https://library.sciencemadness.org/library/books/ignition.pdf (free pdf)

https://www.amazon.com.au/Ignition-John-Clark/dp/0813595835 (recent reprint)

The relevant passage from John Clark's "Ignition!":

>”It is, of course, extremely toxic, but that’s the least of the problem. It is hypergolic with every known fuel, and so rapidly hypergolic that no ignition delay has ever been measured. It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water-with which it reacts explosively. It can be kept in some of the ordinary structural metals-steel, copper, aluminium, etc.-because of the formation of a thin film of insoluble metal fluoride which protects the bulk of the metal, just as the invisible coat of oxide on aluminium keeps it from burning up in the atmosphere. If, however, this coat is melted or scrubbed off, and has no chance to reform, the operator is confronted with the problem of coping with a metal-fluorine fire. For dealing with this situation, I have always recommended a good pair of running shoes.”

Amazon link

You can get the epub of the recent reprint for free here

Or buy it on Amazon

Fantastic book.

They reprinted it!


https://smile.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-Propellants-University-Classics/dp/0813595835/

Which only really highlights how little they know about the subject. There are all kinds different rocket propellants used and not all of them are bad. The Delta IV uses hydrogen and oxygen which makes.. water. Not saying there isin't some nasty shit out there but it's mostly no worse than what you get when you burn diesel in a car (just a lot more of it in a short time). Read Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants if you're into that sort of shit.

Ignition! by John D. Clark.

It's also linked on the subreddit sidebar.

At this point, it's mandatory to mention John Clarke's Ignition, an entertaining and educational look at the history of liquid-fuelled rocket engines.

Learn about the exciting world of Zip fuels, Fluorine-based oxidisers, and Nitroglycerine as a monopropellant!

Huh? Paperback and Hardcover editions exist on amazon, for $25 and $99 respectively.

In no particular order but all of the following are great.

• Skunk Works by Ben Rich - I reviewed it here
  
• Ignition! - It's an informal history of liquid rocket propellant and I did a more in depth review of it here
  
• The Design of Everyday Things - A book about how objects are designed. It changed how I look at the world and approach design. It took me few tries to get into it the first time.
  
• Introduction to Astrodynamics by Battin - A great textbook on the basics of astrodynamics that is both easy enough for undergrads to start, and rigorous enough to keep you interested as your math skills improve in grad school and later.

There is a reprint https://www.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-Propellants-University-Classics/dp/0813595835/

It's been reprinted, although it looks like Amazon may not have it in stock currently.

https://smile.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-Propellants-University-Classics/dp/0813595835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536254029&sr=8-1&keywords=ignition

Also if you or anyone else is really looking into it the two most useful text book I found to be SMAD (Space Mission Analysis and Design): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mission-Analysis-Design-Technology-Library/dp/9401051925/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=space+mission+analysis+and+design&qid=1559028595&s=gateway&sr=8-1


Other good reads are Fundamentals of Astrodynamics (which is much more relevant for KSP) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fundamentals-Astrodynamics-Dover-Aeronautical-Engineering/dp/0486600610/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SWR1ICPOGQ7X&keywords=fundamentals+of+astrodynamics&qid=1559028689&s=gateway&sprefix=the+fundamentals+of+astro%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1 And Ignition! to cover the history in a very entertaining manner https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ignition-Informal-Propellants-University-Classics/dp/0813595835/ref=pd_sbs_14_1/259-4345144-1867258?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0813595835&pd_rd_r=9e3755d8-811a-11e9-9b3b-b9bbd55e85d0&pd_rd_w=sq1G0&pd_rd_wg=m37dV&pf_rd_p=18edf98b-139a-41ee-bb40-d725dd59d1d3&pf_rd_r=WPHT2J5EFR2KZ1WYVJEX&psc=1&refRID=WPHT2J5EFR2KZ1WYVJEX .


You can probably find pdfs online for those if you look mind.

Maybe consider trading book ingition. It is about rocket propellants from 1950's.

https://www.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-Propellants-University-Classics/dp/0813595835/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=ignition&qid=1567315915&s=gateway&sprefix=igni&sr=8-1

They recently did a reprint! You can get it for $20 on Amazon now.