Owing to its simple formulation and intractable nature, along with its application to the lunar theory, the three-body problem has since it was first studied by Newton in the Principia attracted the attention of many of the world's most gifted mathematicians and astronomers. Two of these, Euler and Lagrange, discovered the problem's first periodic solutions. However, it was not until Hill's discovery in the late 1870s of the variational orbit that the importance of the periodic solutions was fully recognized, most notably by Poincaré, but also by others such as Sir George Darwin. The book begins with a detailed description of the early history of the three-body problem and its periodic solutions, with chapters dedicated to the pioneering work of Hill, Poincaré, and Darwin. This is followed by the first in-depth account of the contribution to the subject by the mathematical astronomer Forest Ray Moulton and his research students at the University of Chicago. The author reveals how Moulton's Periodic Orbits, published in 1920 and running to some 500 pages, arose from Moulton's ambitious goal of creating an entirely new lunar theory. The methods Moulton developed in the pursuit of this goal are described and an examination is made of both the reception of his work and his legacy for future generations of researchers.

This monograph contains an overview of classical dynamics, providing a solid basis on which to build an understanding of the theory of interplanetary flights. The treatment of the topic is based on both historical and topical perspectives. The theoretical development is illustrated with a number of practical examples, bringing to bear the author's experience gained from working on the Soviet space programme. Many examples are taken from current space missions - new data is included on the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet, the flight of ULYSSES over the Solar poles and the Voyager's tour of the solar system.

In this groundbreaking work, F. R Moulton and Daniel Buchanan offer a groundbreaking new approach to the study of periodic orbits. Drawing on cutting-edge research and advanced mathematical models, this book provides a comprehensive overview of this fascinating field of study. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.