Further Reading: Staging, Propellant Management, and Reusability

Resources to go deeper on optimal staging, the practical demons of propellant management, and the engineering and economics of reuse. Tier-1 sources are canonical references; Tier-2 are reputable but should be cross-checked for exact figures.

Textbooks (Tier 1)

• Sutton, G. P., & Biblarz, O., Rocket Propulsion Elements (9th ed.), Wiley. The standard propulsion text. See its chapters on flight performance and vehicle design for the staging math, and its treatment of feed systems, tank pressurization, and propellant behavior for the ullage/slosh/POGO material. The best single source for this chapter.
• Curtis, H. D., Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students, Elsevier. Its "Rocket Vehicle Dynamics" chapter derives optimal staging in full, including the restricted (equal-stage) case and the Lagrange-multiplier condition for unequal stages we quoted in §22.2. Work through its derivation to see where $R_i = (v_{e,i}-\mu)/(v_{e,i}\varepsilon_i)$ comes from.
• Wertz, J. R., Everett, D. F., & Puschell, J. J., Space Mission Engineering: The New SMAD, Microcosm Press. For the systems-level and cost side — how staging, margins, and launch cost feed a real mission design and a real budget.

Propellant management and vehicle dynamics (Tier 1 / Tier 2)

• NASA SP-8xxx design-criteria monographs (Tier 1). The "Space Vehicle Design Criteria" series includes focused monographs on propellant slosh loads, POGO suppression, and propellant management — primary-source engineering guidance written from hard-won experience. Search the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) for "slosh" and "POGO."
• NASA history-office accounts of Apollo pogo (Tier 2). Readable narratives of the Apollo 6 and Apollo 13 pogo events explain the phenomenon and its fix (feed-line accumulators) in context. Good for the human and engineering story behind §22.3.

Reusability and economics (Tier 2)

• SpaceX mission press kits and webcasts (Tier 2). The primary public source for the Falcon 9 landing sequence, grid fins, and droneship-vs-RTLS profiles. Watch a booster landing webcast with §22.5 open.
• FAA/AST and GAO launch-industry reports (Tier 2). For sober, third-party discussion of launch cost trends and the economics of reuse — useful antidotes to marketing figures when you build the §22.6 model.

Video explainers (Tier 2)

• Scott Manley (YouTube). Clear explainers on staging, the physics of rocket landings, and why the hoverslam is necessary. Excellent for building intuition before or after the math.
• Everyday Astronaut (YouTube). Long-form, well-researched deep dives on reusability, propellant choices, and engine cycles — good pairing with §22.4–22.6.

Tools

• KSP (Kerbal Space Program) with a delta-v/staging readout mod. The fastest way to feel optimal staging and the hoverslam: build a two-stage rocket, watch the readout, and try to land a first stage.
• Open-source trajectory tools (e.g., poliastro, GMAT). For readers who want to push past the hand-sized examples here into real ascent and recovery trajectories.

Suggested order

1. Start with Scott Manley or Everyday Astronaut for intuition on landing and staging.
2. Read Curtis's optimal-staging derivation to make §22.2 rigorous.
3. Consult Sutton & Biblarz for the propellant-management and feed-system detail behind §22.3–22.4.
4. Skim a NASA slosh/POGO monograph on NTRS to see primary-source engineering practice.
5. Build the §22.6 cost model yourself, then read an FAA/AST or GAO report to sanity-check your assumptions against the real industry.