
What makes a rocket engine different than a child's balloon? - markbnine
http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/J2X/posts/post_1289340446851.html
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pontifier
I took a trip to several space centers a few years ago, and I learned a little
about product development along the way.

In the first mercury capsule each wire in the compartment was run separately.
They were quite chaotic.

In the second, you could tell that they knew more about what needed to be run
from place to place. There were big bundles of wires, but there were still
many wires that were run seemingly as afterthoughts.

In the third, almost all the cables were run in bundles, with just a couple
that were added after the fact.

The evolution from generation to generation was quite apparent, and
impressive. I'm sure that the wiring was just the tip of the iceberg as far as
their improvement over time. Getting close and seeing the changes gave me a
sense of the pride and excitement that the builders must have experienced as
they discovered new problems and solutions.

Sometimes I feel like that when I am working on my startup.

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stcredzero
I wish they'd go into the nozzle geometry & physics!

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brlewis
Summary: A rocket engine is more powerful.

