Daily Archives: March 19, 2022

Rock Samples from Mars

Mars has been of interest because of evidence that it may have once supported life. NASA’s latest rover, Perseverance, has been sent to Mars to look for signs of ancient life. A big part of this endeavor is sending samples from Mars back to Earth for m… Continue reading

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Nuclear Fusion For Rocket Propulsion

Nuclear fusion-where the nuclei of two atoms combine to establish a new atom-serves as the primary process that powers main sequence stars (like our Sun). For stars, nuclear fusion most commonly occurs with two hydrogen atoms fusing to form a helium atom. The result of such fusion processes is the output of great amounts of […] Continue reading

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White Holes

Most people by now are familiar with the term “black hole”- a body of high mass with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing which enters can escape from it. The idea of a black hole was born from Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Also born from Einstein’s mathematical equations, however, is the much lesser-knownContinue reading “White Holes” Continue reading

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Theories of Moon Formation

In class we discussed one potential theory of the moon’s formation that is the favorite within the scientific community: the giant impact hypothesis. The theory states that a Mars-sized body (Theia) crashed into the Earth ejecting pieces of a young Earth’s rocky crust into space. Gravity from the remainder of Theia’s core drew these particlesContinue reading “Theories of Moon Formation” Continue reading

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