The Rocket Man Who Wants To Beat the Billionaires

Love this, very inspirational and pragmatic. I like how down to Earth Masten comes across in the article (pun intended). Reminds me of the lesson learned in the restaurant business - over-estimate the wait time, deliver early, and let people enjoy!<p>I think it&#x27;s something about the inherent risks and rewards of flight that are a great challenge and temptation for advancement - space being a dream for so many from childhood. Maybe it makes us feel a little more important in such a grand universe.<p>The Wright Brothers were bicycle mechanics. They beat out the entire world into manned, powered flight. Creativity, some resources, and tenacity can do wonderful things.

Great. First Musk, now Masten. I&#x27;m incredibly hopeful that entrepreneurs will keep challenging the massive, monolithic companies&#x2F;contractors. Their ability to compete with these companies show that increased size often leads to a lot of waste both within the company and in the bureaucratic decision structure. Large isn&#x27;t inherently bad, until the only competitors are also large. It then becomes the bigger the better. Now that smaller guys are able to successfully enter the field, it make them reevaluate their structure. In the end, not size, but efficiency is key. Funding still remains the medium to get there.

I&#x27;ve heard of other small rocket companies using alcohol and lox as the fuel&#x2F;oxidizer. Does anyone know if that is a stand-in for &quot;real&quot; fuels (e.g. RP-1 or H2) that they&#x27;ll switch to after getting contracts or if they plan on using an alcohol-fueled engine as part of their strategy?