Author Archives: josephmaquino9

Throwing Rockets Into Space Using A Skyhook

Posted on May 1, 2022 by josephmaquino9

One of the biggest issues with rocket launches today is the inefficiency of converting fuel into thrust. Because of this, rocket payloads have to be small compared to the amount of space required for fuel. For instance, the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carries a total weight of fuel of ~411 tonnes (the equivalent weight of […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Throwing Rockets Into Space Using A Skyhook

Bracewell “Messanger” Probes

Posted on May 1, 2022 by josephmaquino9

In 1960, Ronald Bracewell made public his idea of a “Bracewell probe” that was capable of both identifying and exchanging information with intelligent alien civilizations. These probes would be sent toward different star systems and place themselves within a near-circular orbit in a star’s habitable zone. Using solar energy from the star, the probe would […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Bracewell “Messanger” Probes

Space Junk

Posted on April 10, 2022 by josephmaquino9

Now that humanity has reached a stage where we can send equipment and spacecraft to space quite frequently, there is a concern about the build-up of debris around the Earth. The Department of Defense keeps surveillance of more than 27,000 pieces of rogue debris that are orbiting within the near-Earth environment. These pieces of “space […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Space Junk

Mini Saturn Orbiting Saturn?

Posted on April 9, 2022 by josephmaquino9

Perhaps the moon in Figure 1 looks like a miniature version of Saturn. Maybe even an empanada. Saturn’s innermost moon Pan was first identified in 1990 in a photograph captured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft (which flew in 1981). Pan has an average diameter of 17.6 miles and orbits about 83,000 miles apart from Saturn. […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Mini Saturn Orbiting Saturn?

Solar Sailing Through The Sea of Space

Posted on March 20, 2022 by josephmaquino9

As an imaginative mind might ask: can we use the Sun’s light to propel a spacecraft through space? Surprisingly, this avenue of spacecraft propulsion has, and is being, explored. Figure 1 displays the Japanese IKAROS satellite that was deployed on May 21, 2010. The spacecraft was equipped with a 14 m x 14 m solar […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Solar Sailing Through The Sea of Space

Nuclear Fusion For Rocket Propulsion

Posted on March 19, 2022 by josephmaquino9

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 →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion For Rocket Propulsion

The Hubble Telescope and Spectroscopy

Posted on February 20, 2022 by josephmaquino9

When many people think about the Hubble Telescope, they tend to think of some of the most spectacular photos that it has captured over its five missions (with an example displayed in Figure 2). However, some people may fail to recognize the importance of the spectrographs that the Hubble Telescope produced and the valuable information […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Hubble Telescope and Spectroscopy

Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 9, 2022 by josephmaquino9

Johannes Kepler (December 27th, 1571 – November 15, 1630) helped the world of astronomy and the general field of sciences in several key ways. First, Kepler utilized Tycho Brahe’s data concerning the position of stars and planets in the sky during different days in the year to determine that the orbit of Mars was elliptical […] Continue reading →

Posted in Historical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Historical Astronomers in Context

Can We Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light (like in Star Wars)?

Posted on January 30, 2022 by josephmaquino9

One interesting question that has crossed many minds is, “Can humans travel at the speed of light?” Movies like Star Wars and Star Trek seem to believe that we can travel at, or even exceed, the speed of light (300,000,000 m/s) as they depict spaceships capable of jumping into hyperspace. In order to assess this […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Can We Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light (like in Star Wars)?

Intro to Me

Posted on January 24, 2022 by josephmaquino9

I am Joseph Aquino, and I am a Senior at Vanderbilt University studying Mechanical Engineering. I am the current Vehicle Team Lead and Safety Officer of the 7x champion Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory (found here). I enjoy working in the context of space and propulsion. Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on Intro to Me