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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D.

@danielpineda.bsky.social
114 followers 194 following 34 posts

lasers and rockets

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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
@gem-jones.bsky.social I came across this funny coincidence today, if you hadn't seen it yet
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
This year, I've had the privilege to mentor a fantastic group of four students repping @utsaroadrunners.bsky.social in the 2025 NASA Student Launch Competition. This weekend, they flew a test launch in the Lone Star Cup, earning 2nd place! Looking forward to the competition launch in Huntsville!
Four female college students standing around and holding up a pink rocket, which is approximately 9 feet tall. A pink rocket flying through the sky with a green exhaust plume. An inside view of the payload bay of a student-built rocket, housing four Lego characters who are strapped in with pink PLA 3D-printed material. A 2nd place trophy for The Lone Star Cup 2025c held in Seymour, Texas.
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 06/07/2024
We have a new paper out this week in collaboration with the UTSA Hypersonics group using high-speed chemiluminescence imaging to estimate detonation cell sizes! Thanks Brandon N. and Eugene H. for helping carry this over the finish line. Check it out: rdcu.be/dMUZo
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 19/05/2024
Looks like Rocket Project at UCLA is still out here pushing limits with their bi-propellant liquid rockets in the Mojave! This was a fun one to catch in-person.
A rocket launching off of a rail
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 15/04/2024
We officially have an operational shock tube at UTSA! @utsaroadrunners.bsky.social
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 09/04/2024
Our lab group enjoyed a moment of darkness yesterday
Photograph of onset of totality for solar eclipseStudents sitting outdoors at UTSA in the dark during a total solar eclipse
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 03/04/2024
Always love a "new laser day"
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 02/04/2024
Extra set of knurled port plugs for our shock tube arrived today!
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 20/02/2024
Never a dull moment around here
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 17/01/2024
This is certainly one of the most out-of-left-field gifts I've been given by a graduating student, but I'm appreciative nonetheless
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 07/01/2024
While this airline has always been good to me, my transit-pilled brain now only sees this triangle figure and associated business model as one of the main reasons Texas didn't develop high speed rail in the 90s: www.texastribune.org/2014/03/07/f...
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 16/12/2023
The progress continues!
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 15/12/2023
Our high enthalpy shock tube is coming together!
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 18/11/2023
It was an eventful Friday unpacking and inventorying our custom High-Enthalpy Shock Tube this week at UTSA. It's going to be a busy few weeks of assembly for us!
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 21/10/2023
forbidden marshmallow
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 19/10/2023
I'm happy to share that our UTSA High-Enthalpy Shock Tube successfully passed its hydrostatic pressure test, to ~380 bar! This will allow our researchers to generate extreme temperatures and pressures applicable to a wide variety of aerospace and propulsion projects.
A long stainless-steel tube undergoing a hydrostatic test in a machine shop.A long stainless-steel tube undergoing a hydrostatic test in a machine shop.A pressure gauge reading ~5500 psi.
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 15/10/2023
Snapped this one today in San Antonio! Olympus EM-10 Mark II with a 150 mm lens and solar filter #Eclipse
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 11/10/2023
Thanks to Justin T, we've made some custom UTSA-branded printed circuit boards for our stepper motor control systems that operate our optical translation stages!
A printed circuit board with a stepper motor driver attached to it, along with BNC and screw terminal connections.
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Daniel I. Pineda, Ph.D. @danielpineda.bsky.social · 11/10/2023
Yesterday we had our first premixed combustion experiment in our fume hood! Joseph H.-M. designed and manufactured a plasma torch ignitor using our metal 3D printer. We'll apply some laser absorption tomography techniques to this flow soon...
A torch ignitor burning a bright blue flame in a laboratory fume hood.
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