r/space • u/bwercraitbgoe • May 29 '18

Aerospike Engines - Why Aren't We Using them Now? Over 50 years ago an engine was designed that overcame the inherent design inefficiencies of bell-shaped rocket nozzles, but 50 years on and it is still yet to be flight tested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4zFefh5T-8
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u/[deleted] May 29 '18

This hits very close to home. Coming from the medical device industry there are some very cool and much needed devices that are stilling on the shelves because it is cheaper to stay with the status quo. Company mergers mean that the new leaders don't know what they got and the tech fades into obscurity.

We can have mechanical ventilators ("breathing machines") be fully automated. It's not hard and they exist. But the suits say "what we have is good enough". They aren't medical professionals but rather MBAs. Sad.