про разработчика "Мерлин-1":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mueller
The Dragon spacecraft being launched on a Falcon 9 v1.0 rocket powered by Merlin engines engineered by Tom Mueller.
For 15 years, Mueller worked for TRW Inc., a conglomerate corporation involved in aerospace, automotive, credit reporting, and electronics. He managed the propulsion and combustion products department where he was responsible for liquid rocket engine development.[1] He worked as a lead engineer during the development of the TR-106, a 650,000 lbf (2,900 kN) thrust hydrogen engine that was one of the most powerful engines ever at the time it was constructed. During his time at TRW, Mueller felt that his ideas were being lost in a diverse corporation and as a hobby he began to build his own engines. He would attach them to airframes and launch them in the Mojave Desert along with other members of the Reaction Research Society.
In late 2001, Mueller began developing a liquid-fueled rocket engine in his garage and later moved his project to a friend's warehouse in 2002.[1] His design was the largest amateur liquid-fuel rocket engine, weighing 80 lb (36 kg) and producing 13,000 lbf (58 kN) of thrust.[1] His work caught the attention of Elon Musk, PayPal co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors, and in 2002 Mueller joined Musk as a founding employee of SpaceX.
история достойная индийского фильма, как предложили выше
в другой статье я читал, что Том Мюллер предлагал свой дизайн двигателя в компании где он до того работал, но в планы производства он не вписывался. существующий (их ставили на МБР) и так работали, компания не видела нужды вкладываться в разработку, и не зря: спрос на МБР упал (США уже давно не обновляли свой арсенал МБР) и насколько я понял движки они перестали производить. Для Мюллера работы фактически не было. Далее была банальная история неудач и успехов, но итераций было немного, что ещё более удивительно. Опять же если сравнивать сколько было вбухано в советскую космическую программу и NASA только в разрабтку движков (достойно отдельной саги), вложения в Space X - крохи на этом фоне.
Not everyone believes what I believe but my beliefs do not require them to.
