Engineers need to acquire Back-of-the-Envelope survival skills to obtain rough quantitative answers to real-world problems, particularly when working on projects with enormous complexity and very limited resources. In the case studies treated in this book, we show step-by-step examples of the physical arguments and the resulting calculations obtained using the quick-fire method. We also demonstrate the estimation improvements that can be obtained through the use of more detailed physics-based Back-of-the-Envelope engineering models. These different methods are used to obtain the solutions to a number of design and performance estimation problems arising from two of the most complex real-world engineering projects: the Space Shuttle and the Hubble Space Telescope satellite.

Shows how to very quickly estimate solutions for complex problems Puts the focus on real world problems Includes many examples of actual problems like the Space Shuttle and the Hubble Telescope Useful as a basic resource tool and set of skill for practitioners and students Assists in developing quick tests of new design concepts Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
Space Shuttle Performance Estimates.- Columbia Shuttle Accident Analysis.- Reentry and Landing of the Orbiter.- Hubble Space Telescope Design.- Solenoid Robot Kicker Design using BotE Techniques.