National Air and Space Museum Image Detail

Beyond the Limits

The analysis of the flow of air over a wing was traditionally done with wind tunnels. It is now primarily done with very fast computers, called supercomputers, which create a mathematical model of the air molecules. Supercomputers also model the flow of gases inside a jet or rocket engine, as shown in these photographs. The technique is called "computational fluid dynamics" (CFD).

Image Number: WEB11963-2011
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
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