Taking a tour of the Liquid Propulsion Lab (LPL) in the USC Department of Astronautics, you’d be forgiven for mistaking former LPL lead engineer Danetti Martino for a master’s student specializing in the mechanics of regeneratively cooled engines.
In fact, he’s a graduating senior with an academic track record well beyond his years. Add to that, being the first generation of his family to enter higher education, setting a precedent for his younger brother. As he gets ready to enter a stellar career in space engineering, we caught up with Danetti to learn more about his extraordinary story.