This book is actually a collection of technical papers on the subject of Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engines. These are engines that integrate a rocket with airbreathing propulsion modes in order to produce a synergistic combination that performs better than either rocket or airbreather. Thus the author's term "Synerjet," which is synonymous with RBCC.The editor of this collection, Bill Escher, is also the author of most of the included papers. Bill is one of the leading experts in the world on the subject of combined cycle propulsion. He was heavily involved with the early work on RBCC engines performed at The Marquardt Corporation in the 1960's. Thus the historical background on RBCC engines given in the first couple of papers comes from a man who was actually there when the early work was being performed. In addition to a historical account of RBCC efforts to date, the book also includes papers on various RBCC subsystems, thermodynamics, performance, and implications for vehicle design.
This book can serve as an excellent introduction for engineers to the subject of RBCC engines. The only reason I would not give it a 5 star rating is due to the technical paper format. I find a focused, coherent text directly expressly toward a single subject to be preferable to a collection of papers. However, the author's inclusion of extensive introductions to each paper does much to address the issue of coherence.
Currently, NASA is predicating much of its efforts for so-called "third generation" launch vehicles on the capabilities of RBCC engines. While these vehicles are not expected to be in service until the 2020 time frame, a substantial amount of development effort will most likely begin in the next five to ten years. Engineering wanting to get a head start on the "next big thing" in propulsion engineering would be well advised to begin following the current work on RBCC technology. Bill Escher's excellent compilation would be a good place to start.
