[moopogyOvenny]

Not familiar with the book.

If you're into the whole Space Opera BUT WITH REAL SCIENCE genre, I'd recommend Bova, KSR, or Vernor Vinge [A Deepness in the Sky particularly]. Neither of them focus overly on the details of orbital mechanics IIRC, but at least nod to them.

[ansarigf]

Nah, that's just normal space opera, as full of magitech as everything else. It's just more serious than most.

[lesso73]

Rendezvous with Rama deals heartily with orbital mechanics and associated maneuvers in the inner Solar System, primarily within the orbit of Venus.

[BoarmomorurrY]

Sure, it's space opera, but deals with orbital mechanics reasonably serious.

Edit: well, ok, then don't read them Though, they are pretty good entertainment.

I did read them, otherwise how would I know? And I did enjoy them, but they don't match OP.

[RayFairhurst]

Bovas' a crap author though. He writes for 8 year olds.

[Ndptbudd]

The whole Battletech game system usually models space travel very good.
Even their model of FTL Travel is rather plausible for a future society (Large Jump Ships that spend vast amounts of energy to create Mini-Wormholes and use them to instantly travel to another location [up to 30 lys away])
The many novels that are based on the BT system don´t mention the model of space travel too much, however, as most important battles take place between Battlemechs on the surface of planets and Jump-/Dropships are used mainly for transport purposes (at least until the clans arrive) and thjerefore most 80% of the stories takes placve on the surface of a planet or moon

[Stappipsy]

One series I read years ago, as a kid, was Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony. I don't remember a whole lot from it, but it was set just in the solar system and from what I recall it doesn't have FTL Travel, or maybe they get it by the end of the series, I forget.

As far as whether the science is plausible or not... I really don't remember.

[MinisuipGaicai]

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.

[altosburg]

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

[Unlinozistimi]

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

[XqrkN4a0]

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