Trying to find a science fiction novel.

[loinburger]

Maybe some of Alastair Reynolds's works that restrict themselves within the solar system would work - the Revelation Space trilogy started out promising enough before introducing magical science.

[Zkribbler]

has anyone read any good hard science fiction

Aye, there's the rub.

There's people who know science, and there's people who know how to write good fiction. There are very few people who know both.

[ricketyclik]

Alternatively, has anyone read any good hard science fiction that deals with orbital mechanics?

The Heart of the Comet by David Brin and Gregory Benford dealt with the manipulation of the orbit of Haley's Comet using convex mirrors to heat the steam on its surface, converting it in to a space-going vessel. There were diagrams describing orbits, as I recall.

The novel was actually primarily about the politics of genetic enhancement.

[Ben Kenobi]

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Anybody know the book?

Sounds vaguely familiar to me.

BUILDING HARLEQUIN'S MOON, by Larry Niven is my guess.

http://www.sfreviews.net/building_harlequins_moon.html

[Tuberski]

Dread Empire's Fall, takes planetary and sun gravity into account, but not seriously.

ACK!

[KrazyHorse]

One of the HeeChee books has a good account of travel to the Oort

[Ben Kenobi]

Hee Chee? What's that?

[KrazyHorse]

...and camelot 30K was good if you're into chemistry

[Blaupanzer]

In a long period of reading sci-fi, I recall a couple of books which used the sun as a kind of accelerator (called "slingshot") to reach the farther out portions of the solar system. One had drawings illustrating how to approach the sun without exploding or getting sucked in and tables showing fuel requirements needed to maintain momentum and then return to earth. Book came out same time as one of Heinlein's in the late 50's. (This is before Stranger in a Strange Land.) Maybe Simak, but probably not.

Almost no hard (real science) science fiction being written anymore. A couple of the good sceince writers for the rest of us are both scientists and sci-fi writers (e.g., Greg Bear). However, the science doesn't come thru in their fiction.