Rarefied Gas Dynamics is a collection of selected papers presented at the Eighth International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics, held at Stanford University in July 1972. The book is a record of the significant advances in the broad field of Rarefied Gas Dynamics that are considered to be of general and continuing interest. The articles in this compendium are organized under 10 main topics. The text presents research papers on the kinetic theory of gases; studies and experiments on shock structures of gases; use of kinetic theory for the solution of problems in evaporation and condensation; gas expansions and jets; and techniques and methods applied to the study of rarefied gas dynamics. The book also includes works on gas-solid interactions; descriptions of basic notions of current polyatomic gas kinetics; and observation of the gas dynamic phenomena in space. Physicists, aeronautical engineers, mechanical engineers, researchers, and students in the field of aircraft design will find this book a good source of knowledge and information.