Fatal flaw in another agency's rocket technology
A leaked safety report says Engine Lab's famous one-less-rocket design works great, as long as you never turn left.
Engine Lab test rangeFor years Engine Lab has flown every mission with one less rocket than the competition. Today we learned how.
A 60-page safety report, which somebody left on a train, says the design skips a stabilizer that "most people would consider important." It flies fine in a straight line. It has opinions about turning.
Space is mostly straight lines. We've done the math.
Public support for Engine Lab dropped overnight. One sponsor, a brand of energy drink, asked to have its logo taken off the side of the rocket "just for now."
Engine Lab's slogan is "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's actually just a rocket." Nobody has said what happens when it needs to turn.
