CAPT Robert Truax, USN-ret., RIP

From an obituary in The New York Times:

A contrarian theory of Mr. Truax’s that still captivates rocket experts was his idea that the cost of a rocket had little to with how big a rocket was. He did calculations showing that complexity, not size, drove costs. Hence, his proposed “space truck,” two football fields long but relatively simple in design.

Engineers are always focused on costs, but the focus is usually on operating costs, either materially or financially. How efficient can we make it? This kind of thinking can pay off big time if you are going to make a zillion of whatever it is, but if you are only making one, the cost of doing all the engineering to make something efficient can out-weigh the cost of actually building it.

Via Just An Earth Bound Misfit, who has a video of JATO assisted Hercules takeoff. Title stolen directly from her as well.