For nearly sixty years, this seminal text has been regarded as the single most authoritative sourcebook on rocket propulsion technology. Comprehensive and coherently organized, "Rocket Propulsion Elements" guides readers evenhandedly through basic principles, the various physical mechanisms and designs, and the application of propulsion to flying vehicles. The "Eighth Edition" has been updated with the latest advances in the field: changes in materials, systems design, analytical simulations, propellants, applications and manufacturing technologies. At the same time, older system types such as hybrid systems are downplayed in favor of those in use today.