Gasdynamics is the study of compressible flows: either around aerodynamic bodies (external flows, aerodynamics or fluid dynamics) or through engines  (internal flows or propulsion).  Gasdynamics is important for numerous aspects of aerospace engineering, such as airplane aerodynamics, helicopter aerodynamics, jet propulsion, rocket propulsion, advanced propulsion, properties of the space environment, and many others.

At Michigan, courses in the gasdynamics curriculum cover topics such as incompressible flow, compressible flow, viscous flow, turbulence, plasmadynamics, non-equilibrium and rarefied flows, jet and rocket propulsion, electric propulsion, and computational fluid dynamics, among others.  Research at Michigan covers a wide array of topics of current interest in gasdynamics.  Some particular strengths of Michigan's research program in gasdynamics are listed below.  In addition, particular research topics are listed on faculty members' web pages.

Faculty
Louis P. Bernal
Iain Boyd
Werner J. A. Dahm
James F. Driscoll
Alec D. Gallimore
Matthias Ihme
Kenneth G. Powell
Philip L. Roe
Wei Shyy
Bram van Leer