No, it’s not some obscure rip-off of the popular puzzle game Tetris. TetrUSS computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software is a suite of applications that was originally developed for internal use at NASA. Now it’s utilized by engineers and scientists across the country to analyze fluid dynamics and aerodynamics.
The new edition, named version 010804, runs on Mac OS X v.10.3 (Panther) and includes a variety of improvements, including a revised version of GridToolCocoa (GTC), a general purpose CAD application, geometry preparation, and a grid generation tool.
The original version of TetrUSS was developed by NASA Langley Research Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory for use in a variety of projects. The Mac OS X version leverages Cocoa, Quartz rendering, and native OpenGL acceleration. You can launch all of its components through the UNIX command line or through the Aqua interface.
NASA recommends that you use a three-button mouse and have a video card with at least 32MB of video RAM when you use TetrUSS. The agency also notes that version 092803 is still available for Mac OS X v.10.2.x (Jaguar). To request a copy of the software, you must submit a request through the TetrUSS Web site.
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