interplanetary flight: an introduction to astronautics is a short, modestly technical introduction to space exploration written by arthur c. clarke, and published in 1950. it includes material accessible to readers with a high-school level of science and technical education, covering the elements of orbital mechanics, rocket design and performance, various applications of earth satellites, a discussion of the more interesting and accessible destinations in the solar system (such as they were understood at the time of writing), and in a final chapter covering the rationale and value of human expansion off the earth.