Aerodynamics: The Outlook for the Future

Abstract

The outlook and future of the aerodynamics are discussed. The present advances imply that aerodynamics in the future is heading towards the analysis of unmanned very small and very slow vehicles, and manned or unmanned very fast and large vehicles. For the former Nature is closely observed. For the latter, however, several countries are collaborating, since the financial requirements are enormous for such projects. It seems some such aerospace projects have been canceled already because of financial burdens. Before the turn of the twentieth century, some scientific views were presented for the forecast of the development in aerospace projects during the twenty-first century. However, after 9/11 many military, and civilian, projects and studies were devoted to the national security. Inevitably, the discipline of aerodynamics will be influenced with this change and the research needed for increasing the wind and flowing water energy densities one order of magnitude.