![]() There was even a paper written by some people at Ames that predicted we would be able to replace wind tunnels within a certain timeframe. Stu Rogers: And that was really a big controversy. Was the original intention to replace these wind tunnels? Is that what people were hoping for back in the ’80s when they were first contemplating this? If you have a computer model that can accurately depict that stuff, it’s easier. We have a few here at Ames, but imagine, building this is such a thing. Host:Obviously building a wind tunnel is a big endeavor. And so, we developed, we worked with the wind tunnel people in a lot of instances to build a test we could then simulate in the computer and compare the answers and make sure we were on the right track. We had to validate the models in the first place. And so the great thing about Ames is that we have such great wind tunnel facilities and we have had for such a long time is that there’s a real synergy between the two, and so the type of work we did as we were first developing CFD is, we had to validate that. As an undergraduate, you do a lot of study of fluid dynamics and different things, including the wind tunnel, but when you start to specialize in doing CFD for example, all the people that work in CFD generally stay behind the monitor working on the computer, whereas all the people that are doing work in the wind tunnels are the wind tunnel jockeys that are doing their work in the wind tunnels. Stu Rogers: It’s actually an interesting split. Did you have to study through all that stuff and figure out the real deal first, or how does that work? Host:So, before even you set up these algorithms and you have the computer running these tests, did you have to study the actual - I’m sure there’s hands-on tests of fluid dynamics where you submerge things maybe with dye or something like that. Many of the people who developed all the algorithms were here. And the pioneers of developing the software for CFD worked at Ames. Stu Rogers: So it at the time, in the ’80s, it was a growing science. However, the interesting thing is that the mathematical equations, they’re non-linear partial differential equations, very difficult to solve. Imagine anything you might want to test in a wind tunnel to understand the aerodynamics or acoustics or anything like that, you could also theoretically simulate it in a computer and get perhaps even more detailed information than the wind tunnel. And the whole reason you would do this is sort of the same reason you might build a wind tunnel. Stu Rogers: Computational fluid dynamics, or CFD, is essentially the science of solving the mathematical equations that govern fluid dynamics on a computer. Host:For somebody completely coming into it, what is computational fluid dynamics? And so, it was a healthy competition if you will between the centers. Stu Rogers: And back in the ’80s, Ames was a center for the development of computational fluid dynamics as well as Langley Research Center. Stu Rogers: This was under the field of computational fluid dynamics. Host:What were you working on for your master’s? Stu Rogers: You have to drive a lot further to go skiing. Look it up on the map, it’s like, wow, surrounded by… Stu Rogers: To Ames specifically, and I’d never heard of Mountain View or anything. Host:Was it to Ames, or was it just at NASA in general? I was a senior at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and there was an opportunity to come here as a student to work on my master’s for a two-year program. I got an opportunity to come here as part of a master’s program. Stu Rogers: Okay, well I’ve been at Ames since the 1980s. ![]() Buffington (Host): What brought you to Silicon Valley, what brought you to NASA in general, how did you get here? We also go into detail about his recent NASA Software of the Year award and how this software helps both NASA and the aeronautics industry. We cover the origins of supercomputing at NASA and how technology drives exploration, especially for the journey to Mars. Today’s guest is Stuart Rogers, a NASA Aerospace Engineer who works in the Advanced Supercomputing Division here at NASA Ames. Buffington (Host): This is NASA in Silicon Valley, episode 15. A conversation with Stuart Rogers, a NASA Aerospace Engineer in the Advanced Supercomputing Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. ![]()
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