I gotta say it again... Having an interviewer who really understands what the interviewee is talking about is WAY WAY WAY FREAKING BETTER than the superficial fluff we get from big media and NASA. Thanks Tim!
That moment we're he is answering a question and you can sée in his eye oh no that answers was to technical and Tim just ask a technically deeper question and his face lights up this will but more fun than I thought.
It's what separates the successful rocket companies from the not so successful ones. SpaceX, Firefly, Rocket Lab, ULA, Astra - all run by Engineers. Blue Origin... not so much.
I feel like this is the norm from now on. It just feels like what should happen and what should’ve been happening for years now but it’s just not starting to become a thing. And I love it
I still get amused how people think these CEOs are just some MBAs in all of these wonderful companies. Most of them have got their hands dirty and have years of experience working with rockets. It's just wonderful to see.
This just shows that Tim's attitude towards being genuinely "team space" resonates with people in the industry. They want to talk to him, they like that he's excited about what they're working on, and that he has knowledge about their work. Great work as always Tim! Still really looking forward to your History of Soviet Rocket Engines, maybe this year eh? XD
@@chyza2012 You can be team space while also following the golden rule. As a journalist and communicator, burning bridges is not the way to succeed. Give positive press to the good ones and give zero press to the bad ones.
@@chyza2012 Just because Tim tries to be neutral publicly in most things, doesn't mean he's pro Boeing or ULA. He doesn't have to be outspoken and protest the establishment to be a fan of spaceflight. He acknowledges all space accomplishments. He's keeping his opinion to himself and giving us unbiased information...you know, kind of like professional journalists used to do!
@@chyza2012 It's hard to keep a straight face saying anything good about Boeing these days. Muskman is throwing extreme shade on the sector. ULA at least has a perfect record, put up all the latest and greatest exploration missions and Tory Bruno deserves much respect, but they've been caught sleeping on the job...
At least someone goes somewhere and is being allowed to have a peak whays going on. What value does that bring if he would be pro spacex or whomever? I guess spacex also is not perfect but they are more crazy with stuff that just blast ppl brains.
Not forgetting the soundtrack to rocket launch work. Just hoping rocket music will develop into something less hmm bland. Come on Tim rock out like you mean it.
So cool to see! A previous president of my rocketry club works at Firefly now and bragged about getting a picture with you Tim! Makes the whole commercial space industry seem more down to earth, yet somehow even more amazing! Keep up the great content!
What's with rocket company CEOs being so awesome? Tory Bruno, Peter Beck, Elon Musk, and now Tom Markusic. Hats off to these people for being awesome and engaged with the space community.
They realize that someday they might need to go public therefore being liked as a cool ceo that gets the job done might work in their favor aka all of us buying shares
You notice that the ones who are viscerally excited about it and are ACTIVELY involved in the process are the ones who are succeeding spectacularly. The one(s) who see it more as their personal toy box that they are having somebody else build aren't doing as well. The established industry who see it as a way to tap the government gravy-train aren't really even innovating any more and are not doing very well at all. Excitement AND involvement (and vision) lead the way.
it was a long time ago i heard about it but the only thing they can't show is the injection piece, it's considered an ICBM or something like that. im prob wrong tho.... yeah im prob wrong
@@kschleic9053 They have edited out some of thier proprietary tooling, manufacturing techniques and technology. This is a highly competitive industry afterall.
Blurred sections, rather then awkward jump-cuts - GREAT CHOICE :) It lets the interview keep flowing, rather then loosing content, even though it's more work in post-prod. That work is appreciated, by the viewers, and no doubt by the companies, as they know they can trust EDA to keep corporate secrets under wraps, meaning they are more likely to repeat the offers of access, and that gets us all in-depth content. Edit: 800+ views when starting to watch, 5000+ by the time I finish,...
Just so you know, here's how most aerospace companies handle ITAR and proprietary information in video interviews. Their PR Dept. does the actual blurring/editing. They do not allow Tim or any other interviewer to take the raw video with them. Because even though the journalist may not post it publicly, these companies must ensure that such information has no chance of being released to unauthorized persons.
Team space is exactly right. In many ways, the leading companies are sharing more of a partnership than competition. What competition there is is more of a friendly competition than adversarial.
With all those space channels popping up daily on YT, all of them giving reduntant but almost real time information, it's nice to see that EverydayAstronaut chose to go for quality over quantity.
Yeah but I'll admit I watch just about every space video that comes up, hungrily waiting for the next "huge news". Glad I can get both kinds of content.
Kind of a poke at SpaceX too since their rapid development process is: design, build, test, figure out why it failed, tweak, build, test... But it is a process that works for them.
Watching Tom Markusic grinning while the rocket was running was the best part of this video, and the rest of the video is awesome. That dude is now my favorite rocket CEO other than Elon. He really loves what he’s doing and it shows. That was one of the best interviews Tim has ever done.
yeah man, total respect to that attitude, the businesses you compete with are making a living just like you, and in this case pushing the boundaries of science and space exploration. Also, as someone that has worked for great bosses and awful ones, I feel sorry for the folks that work for the latter, not only for how they won't feel the pride they ought to feel for their accomplishments, but because imagine how their boss treats them.
blah blah meh oh yes sorry about that I did see several shirt's at a local thrift store from Space X all never been worn still had the original price tags on them they were still over priced
Seems like it’s company policy to follow SpaceX, they’re making all the same moves, which to me is the obvious way to succeed! SpaceX is incredible, best wishes to these folks too, looks like they got game.
@Author B.L. Alley Musk is not the prime example of someone caring about the working class and workers rights but yes Bezos is in a different league of his own in exploiting workers.
This is such a good video! So many interesting tidbits. Props to Firefly for letting you do this and being so open, Tim. Tom is such a likable and interesting guy. Cant wait for flight 2!
@@leschortos9196 well like everything the connector looks perfectly fine until you shove it into a shaking and accelerating tube of angry metal riding an explosion.
Not only do you get the best interviews and tours, it always seems like they're both really happy to have you there and with the questions you ask. Thanks for the upload Tim!
I work here at this site. We have lots of prior SpaceX and Blue Origin employees. Some of the OG ones too that made out on the stocks. They drive the nicer cars, lol
Another legendary interview Tim. Well done and well done to Tom for taking the time to explain some of this stuff to us. Learnt a lot about rocket engines just from this interview. Well done to the Firefly team. Cant wait for their next launch.
Why do I get emotional when a CEO becomes upfront honnest and passionate? This should be the baseline, I should not feel surprised and happy about it :D
I have the amazing opportunity to interview with Firefly in the coming weeks. It's crazy to think that I'm going from watching Tim's videos to interviewing with a company like this, and all my knowledge comes from you, Tim! Keep up the great work!
I'm only 22 minutes into this and I gotta say, Tim is doing a great interview! And Tom Markusic seems like a chill dude, nevermind the rocket-science brilliance that these two guys have.
Shout out to Tim and Firefly for welcoming everyone to experience the history of spaceflight in the making. It's a win-win-win as Tim gets great content, Firefly gets fantastic advertisement, and we get the access we all want
Very interesting video! A quick summary of some Firefly propulsion facts: *ENGINE GENERAL INFO:* US combustion chamber, Ukrainian turbo-machinery. Tap-off cycle. 11:15 This engine uses a pintle injector 32:36 Combustion chamber runs at 1300 psi (90 Bar) Tap off 1100 psi (75 Bar) expands to about 30 psi (2 Bar) in the turbine 7:38 The temperature in the thrust chamber is 3000C, but the temperature of the gas fed to the turbine is 600C. This is achieved without any additional dilution of tapped off gas -- it just happens so due to the natural topology of the injector flows in the thrust chamber. [This is not quite clear -- the patent which Tom refers to, describes the upper stage "Lightning" engine, which does use tap-off gas dilution with fuel, and does not have the same injector.] 7:33 2.3 O/F ratio (36:23) 2.2 O/F in the first flight, but also run at 2.4-2.5 in tests. 30:50 The turbine rotates at 33K RPM, developing 900 HP [the torque is just under 200Nm, the total force acting on the blades on the order of 150 kgf] 6:4311:42 The engine does not throttle, except for a little bit, by changing the pressure in the tanks. [Probably because the turbine is fed from the thrust chamber tap-off and depends on subtlety of the flow patterns at the engine head, this coupling makes thrust control much more difficult. That's one of the reasons why tap-off cycle is so rarely used.] 9:35 Turbine is started by Nitrogen spin start. Very low spin start is required before the engine bootstraps. "Could plug the nozzle to help it" *THRUST CHAMBER* 6:0211:00 Thrust chamber is high strength copper alloy liner [usually Copper-Zirconium-Chromium bronze in the USA] with nickel-cobalt electroplated on it. (Inspired by Shuttle main engine technology) 29:19 A forging for the thrust chamber liner. (narration at 26:42) it starts as a rough shape weighing about 600 kg. After machining the weight becomes approximately 40 kg. 31:5824:47 Copper alloy engine liner at the machining area, (on the left). Lots of shavings! 35:58 "We can run the [combustion chamber] barrels without film cooling. In some engines we had film cooling in the throat area, where the heat flux is the greatest." 36:52 On film cooling orifices and chamber fabrication technology: "The chamber will have cooling channels milled into it and then we will put wax in those channels and then we'll electroplate nickel over that, and then we'll melt the wax out now you've got channels. That's how we make our cooling channels. Before you put the wax on when you have those channels if you just go a little bit above the throat and use 12 mil electro-discharge machining wire and just pop little holes through those cooling channels into the chamber before you plate it now you plate it and in those channels you have an array of little tiny holes above the converging section and that will inject jets of cold fuel." 26:13 "Just hired a new machine shop manager, who has experience in mass production of thrust chambers. Will be buying some new machinery that will allow to machine thrust chambers in hours instead of days that it takes now." 27:12 3D printing of the liner of this size is still not economical. [Launcher Space 3D prints a similar engine -- even using the turbopump from the same Ukrainian source.)] *WARM GAS TAP OFF FROM COMBUSTION CHAMBER TO DRIVE THE TURBINE* 16:25 Tap off cycle was Firefly's call -- "fortunately it worked". 8:36 Tom talks about "not having any soot" but also seems to imply fuel rich gas; [But the original Ukranian turbine was designed for oxygen-rich cycle!] Says "we never had coking in the turbine" comparing to Gas Generators running at 0.3 O/F ratio and "puking soot." 30:02 Inconel tap-off manifolds on the shop floor. (narration at 25:30) Machined from forgings, will be 3D printed in the future. *TURBOPUMP* 5:38 Soviet heritage turbomachinery [from RD-8 vernier engine of Zenit, developed in Ukraine] 200 people work[ed] on it in Ukraine for Firefly. 17:50 "the turbopump is clean-sheet design" [Starting as Soviet RD-8 engine, becoming Ukranian RD-809K engine, and now used in several engines all over the world -- in Korea, Germany and USA] Tom explains that LOX and RP-1 pumps are separate units, joined together by a coupler. [See cross-section of the RD-8 turbopump.] 30:50 Turbine wheel being made using the machining center. The turbine rotates at 33K RPM, developing 900 HP =============== *MISC. TRIVIA* 20:44 Bulk LOX is super friendly, it even puts fires out. But hot oxygen gas burns the engine up in a white flash of light in a second. 33:46 At moderate combustion pressures (1300 psi) soot-carbon combustion products LOX/RP-1 condense on the walls of combustion chamber and form a natural thermal barrier which inhibits heat transfer. At higher pressures or higher O/F ratios this beneficial soot formation does not occur. 34:54 LOX-RP is amazing. Impulse density is on par with everything. In the balance of things, methane is a hassle. 37:45 In other engines, Tom have seen engine liner erosion that sometimes produced fuel leaks which provided film cooling preventing further erosion, after which engine ran happily. 51:00 Wasps cause serious problems by plugging with mud the vents that are necessary for actuating engine valves! Was a problem at SpaceX McGregor, caused engines to blow up. Must have screens on all vents! --- 21:37 Modern US metallurgy allows to create oxygen-rich staged combustion without special coatings. 22:45 Aerojet-Rocketdyne brazing oven for the combustion chambers, the largest in the world. Will allow to switch from electroplated nickel-cobalt thrust chambers to brazed steel jacketed engines. 5:24 The configuration of four engines gimballed in one axis each is inspired by looking at many Soviet rockets, where it is a common design.
Not even half way through yet and this is a fantastic interview and Tom is very generous with his time and knowledge. Their first test was so close. They are going to be gaining a lot of new fans.
I am happy to see this coverage. Tim is 1st class all the way. Love how he dives deep into the technical side of rockets, and can explain things so well to us that know little to nothing about that side of this business. Without Tim, we wouldn't have seen any coverage like this. Is you still haven't subscribed, please note, it's completely free. So is clicking like. One of the best things you can do to support Tim!
wow, awesome. i love the way Everyday Astronaut makes all these thing so accessible for us. i've learned so much from this channel and make me so excited for space!
The list of companies led by great engineers who are willing to give the public a crash course in rocket science just keeps growing. Absolutely love these tours, so many details to send me into a wiki-binge.
It's weird how it has that reputation in the States (and probably elsewhere) just by their marketing strategy. When I first tried that stuff I must've been in a good shape for that day as I actually felt it do something. Quite likely didn't have any coffee in a while, too. So, given how that stuff (for me) is also the one energy drink which in it's standard flavor doesn't make me wanna leap from a 30th floor window, I, too, drink Monster, despite being quite intellent. Guess the bashing just as well doesn't speak too much for intelligence, in itself (not considering negative properties of energy drinks in general). It's basically is a bias serving as an extension (gone bad) to the original marketing's success.
I come back to this comment to say I just watched the Everyday Astronaut do a walk around with Jeff. I’m impressed in a different way with Jeff and how he talks about the rockets. We need Elon’s and Jeff’s in this world. I think both are doing a great job. I was wrong about the 2 minutes… wish it had been 2 hours!
@@vfxsoupDude you are the most rational person I have encountered in a comment section in a long while. I wish more people (including me) were like you.
Firefly has officially won me over. Soviet propulsion tech, the beautiful rocket itself, and I just love smallsat launchers. I'd love to work there as facility maintenance That bit about oxygen rich was interesting
Such an awesome interview. I think you are the best person to interview people in the rocket industry. I really loved the quick chat with the machine operator that was making the turbine wheels. that was so down to earth, and showed how much the Firefly team cares about what they do.
You have such a great style in asking these geniuses questions that allow them to share their thought process behind the innovation they are creating. Keep Up the great work.
I think he was more looking at the nozzle & what they were doing, especially after the slight clang from the tool dropping. "You guys aren't putting dents in the nozzle, are ya?" :D
It sounds like Tom Markusic has learned a lot from working for Elon at SpaceX's rocket engine department in how to speed rocket development up. Develop, test, learn, repeat and try new ways of doing the most with the least parts. Really cool that Tom worked with past Soviet rocket engine scientist, from the Ukraine, for designing a key part of the current engine! Thanks Tim for interviewing the heads of various Rocket companies and showing how there methods are different and where they are the same.
Never have i ever seen a rocket ceo go like “Well this electrical connector..” and goes and just points to that connector. The visuals here are Amazing. Great job Tim ! Also.. beautifull rocket with a great name
This interview with Tom and his showcasing of their operations was totally interesting and inspiring. Didn’t realize that Tim with both these interviews is so in tune with rocket technology which makes these interesting interviews . Great work Tim .
Thankyou Tom and Tim! This interview gave me such confidence in your ability to get to space. Thankyou for being so open with your technology. Its time to turn into the space age.
This was a fantastic interview. I knew next to nothing about Tom Markusic or Firefly - they were just "yet another NewSpace company" in my mind. Now they're my favorite of all the new startups. I'm far more impressed with Markusic than I thought I'd be. I had no idea he had so much experience doing propulsion work at the Air Force, NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic.
Not through the whole interview yet. Taking it in stages. Could you elaborate a bit on why it is your favorite startup? I don't quite get what their unique angle is. SpaceX is all about full reuse, unconventional material choice like stainless steel, supersized rocket etc. While Rocket Lab which is my favorite after they presented Neutron is all about using unconventional material such as Carbon fibre composite and really leverage the advantage of that to make some really cool choices like hung second stage and first stage with fairings attached.
Thanks Tim, again like Elon's interviews really insightful learned more about Firefly in twenty minutes than all the normal media for five years. Earplugs next time maybe, lol. I know you don't normally, but can you DM me when you get a chance. I have something to share with you that might be a story. Gadget NZ
When your workshop tour guide is later blurring out some stuff in his video, then you know that you were in the middle of the kitchen. Thank you Tim for that fascinating video. You are top notch!
Tim is both knowledgeable and fair in his coverage. Naturally that makes folks very willing to give him in debt interviews. Tim is really a great asset for all of us.
Great tour, informative conversation. Thanks for being the fly on the wall (the mud dobber in the nozzle). Cheers to Tom Markusic for the access and wisdom.
They love space and everyone who shares their love for space. It's more of a partnership than a competition, though competition does drive the bleeding edge.
Tom and Tim, great interview. With such a talented and humble CEO Firefly really deserves a place at the table of recent and future space development and exploration.
Thanks to you Tim we have the front row seats watching this new space exploration era unfold right before our eyes. Incredible people doing awesome stuff!
Compare these tours with Destin's tour of the ULA factory, these companies are not worried at all about showing things because they know it doesnt do any good to see the parts.
Thank you so much Tim, Tom and Firefly Aerospace for this awesome video. These interviews are just so great and interesting, like this is journalism and content creation at its finest. Especially because you have an interviewer and interviewee than both obviously know a lot are confident in what they are talking about
Interviews don't get much better than this one. Great questions and even better answers. This interview met and very much exceeded my expectations. Thank you.
I love that some of the other private space fairing companies are starting to showcase what’s going on underneath the hood. Tim, you’re brilliant man. For doing these insider interviews and your knowledge on propulsion. So cool, please keep em’ coming!
Great interview,.I love that the CEO is giving us a show and tell..NASA, Elon Musk started this transparency in the aerospace industry so it's really cool that Tom is doing the same with Firefly.
Thanks, TIM, for bringing us into the "brave new world" of commercial space! I love the fact that these big company heads, like Tom and Elon, trust you enough to do so. Definitely not Norminal! Love what you do and the enthusiasm with which you do it.
I swear Tim gets the absolute BEST top dog interviews. You don't see this out of the major channels. Probably cuz they'd chop and only release snippets of a very scripted in studio only interviews with channel leanings if they even care enough about the industry to do one. The only censoring I see is to protect their intellectual or privacy and there's no political spin on it whatsoever. Keep up the epic work.
Let's hope they don't get cancelled by the investors, before they even finish the first season. I'm really looking forward to see it light up in orbit and travel to new frontiers.
I can’t help but compare this interview to the 3 part series Tim just did with Elon. Both are great for their own reasons, I enjoy this one for how well spoken Tom is and how is and how clearly he is able to explain all the details and specs in plain English with little to no jargon. Elon, whom I admire, I have to admit is a bit harder to follow andthe listener must work harder to extract all the details.
@@gregbailey45 100% the left wing mob hate him, he walks the walk but refuses to talk their talk. So he's garbage to them. Such caring, such inclusivity.
@@Ashborn- I dont think he thinks in words he sees all of the things and has to get the picture to words and has to translate through a filter, space still has a lot of Protected items.
Wonderful interview. BTW the nitty gritty details of the motors was total gold. Please keep doing this. Not holding my breath for the Bezos Blue Origin walkthrough. 😀
I gotta say it again... Having an interviewer who really understands what the interviewee is talking about is WAY WAY WAY FREAKING BETTER than the superficial fluff we get from big media and NASA. Thanks Tim!
A hell of a more pleasant experience for the person interviewed too, not being asked idiotic questions.
It's like when they were interviewing the Inspiration 4 team.. I was so happy to see Tim was there. I'd knew we'd be getting a good question or two :)
@@aaronmorse9071 Benji was super happy to see Tim on the floor too. That was a great moment.
@@xbolt90 can you give me a link to that video interview
That moment we're he is answering a question and you can sée in his eye oh no that answers was to technical and Tim just ask a technically deeper question and his face lights up this will but more fun than I thought.
Outstanding interview. I'm a much bigger fan of Firefly now. Tom isn't just a CEO, he's an engineer. Well done Tom and Tim.
Exactly
It's what separates the successful rocket companies from the not so successful ones. SpaceX, Firefly, Rocket Lab, ULA, Astra - all run by Engineers. Blue Origin... not so much.
@@CAPFlyer Spot on Chris.
I feel like this is the norm from now on. It just feels like what should happen and what should’ve been happening for years now but it’s just not starting to become a thing. And I love it
I still get amused how people think these CEOs are just some MBAs in all of these wonderful companies. Most of them have got their hands dirty and have years of experience working with rockets. It's just wonderful to see.
This just shows that Tim's attitude towards being genuinely "team space" resonates with people in the industry. They want to talk to him, they like that he's excited about what they're working on, and that he has knowledge about their work. Great work as always Tim! Still really looking forward to your History of Soviet Rocket Engines, maybe this year eh? XD
@@chyza2012 You can be team space while also following the golden rule. As a journalist and communicator, burning bridges is not the way to succeed. Give positive press to the good ones and give zero press to the bad ones.
@@chyza2012 i agree 200%
@@chyza2012 Just because Tim tries to be neutral publicly in most things, doesn't mean he's pro Boeing or ULA. He doesn't have to be outspoken and protest the establishment to be a fan of spaceflight. He acknowledges all space accomplishments. He's keeping his opinion to himself and giving us unbiased information...you know, kind of like professional journalists used to do!
@@chyza2012 It's hard to keep a straight face saying anything good about Boeing these days. Muskman is throwing extreme shade on the sector. ULA at least has a perfect record, put up all the latest and greatest exploration missions and Tory Bruno deserves much respect, but they've been caught sleeping on the job...
At least someone goes somewhere and is being allowed to have a peak whays going on. What value does that bring if he would be pro spacex or whomever? I guess spacex also is not perfect but they are more crazy with stuff that just blast ppl brains.
From a small photographer and now today you collab with Elon Musk and interviewing space CEO's, Tim you are truly bringing space down to earth.
Amen! Super good reason to watch and subscribe to this channel!
Now I understand the term " Rocket Science"
Not forgetting the soundtrack to rocket launch work. Just hoping rocket music will develop into something less hmm bland. Come on Tim rock out like you mean it.
@@ipswichukulele7593 I'm a huge metalhead, but I really like Tim's relaxing vibes actually! Perfect for underlaying behind rocket launches!
For everyday people.
So cool to see! A previous president of my rocketry club works at Firefly now and bragged about getting a picture with you Tim! Makes the whole commercial space industry seem more down to earth, yet somehow even more amazing!
Keep up the great content!
can u share the name of club and uni?
@@igorkondek9038 Bulldog Rocketry, University of Minnesota Duluth.
@@robotron25a11 Go U!
"space industry seem more down to earth" nice one
What's with rocket company CEOs being so awesome? Tory Bruno, Peter Beck, Elon Musk, and now Tom Markusic. Hats off to these people for being awesome and engaged with the space community.
And then theres jeff bezos...
Bruno is an old dinosaur, just tries to look cool.
They realize that someday they might need to go public therefore being liked as a cool ceo that gets the job done might work in their favor aka all of us buying shares
You notice that the ones who are viscerally excited about it and are ACTIVELY involved in the process are the ones who are succeeding spectacularly. The one(s) who see it more as their personal toy box that they are having somebody else build aren't doing as well. The established industry who see it as a way to tap the government gravy-train aren't really even innovating any more and are not doing very well at all.
Excitement AND involvement (and vision) lead the way.
@@RogerM88 where do u get these stuff from? Elon literally credits the engineers for the things spacex has achieved.
Love that Firefly is open book about how their company operates.
Not 100%... I'm only 7 minutes in and they already cut a turbopump question @6:56. Still awesome closeup look
@@kschleic9053³
it was a long time ago i heard about it but the only thing they can't show is the injection piece, it's considered an ICBM or something like that. im prob wrong tho.... yeah im prob wrong
@@kschleic9053 They have edited out some of thier proprietary tooling, manufacturing techniques and technology. This is a highly competitive industry afterall.
Not since Aerospace Equity took over
Blurred sections, rather then awkward jump-cuts - GREAT CHOICE :)
It lets the interview keep flowing, rather then loosing content, even though it's more work in post-prod. That work is appreciated, by the viewers, and no doubt by the companies, as they know they can trust EDA to keep corporate secrets under wraps, meaning they are more likely to repeat the offers of access, and that gets us all in-depth content.
Edit: 800+ views when starting to watch, 5000+ by the time I finish,...
"Loosing" content. Lol...
Also they did a very bad job at blurring, skipped couple of frames here and there could see everything.
Just so you know, here's how most aerospace companies handle ITAR and proprietary information in video interviews. Their PR Dept. does the actual blurring/editing. They do not allow Tim or any other interviewer to take the raw video with them. Because even though the journalist may not post it publicly, these companies must ensure that such information has no chance of being released to unauthorized persons.
Love the fact that one of the guys working on the engine is wearing a SpaceX t-shirt. Go team space!
Team space is exactly right. In many ways, the leading companies are sharing more of a partnership than competition. What competition there is is more of a friendly competition than adversarial.
With all those space channels popping up daily on YT, all of them giving reduntant but almost real time information, it's nice to see that EverydayAstronaut chose to go for quality over quantity.
Yeah but I'll admit I watch just about every space video that comes up, hungrily waiting for the next "huge news". Glad I can get both kinds of content.
I actually miss his more frequent, short form vids he used to have.
43:10 “we didn’t wanna just go to Alaska and start blowing stuff up” wow, throw some shade at astra there!! Lol
I came to the comments to find this! That was funny asf
🤣😭
Kind of a poke at SpaceX too since their rapid development process is: design, build, test, figure out why it failed, tweak, build, test... But it is a process that works for them.
@@wingsounds13 yeah but the fact they specifically said “Alaska”….
@@wingsounds13 yeah because its cheap
Watching Tom Markusic grinning while the rocket was running was the best part of this video, and the rest of the video is awesome. That dude is now my favorite rocket CEO other than Elon. He really loves what he’s doing and it shows. That was one of the best interviews Tim has ever done.
"Rocket Lab and Relativity, catch me if you can"
That is my favorite quote from the whole interview.
I love the fact that the guy who worked at the engine wore a space x shirt! Don't sue your opponents, show that you like them (Blue Origin...)
yeah man, total respect to that attitude, the businesses you compete with are making a living just like you, and in this case pushing the boundaries of science and space exploration. Also, as someone that has worked for great bosses and awful ones, I feel sorry for the folks that work for the latter, not only for how they won't feel the pride they ought to feel for their accomplishments, but because imagine how their boss treats them.
This company sure know how to enter the list of "cool rocket guys".
Jeff... not so much.
blah blah meh oh yes sorry about that I did see several shirt's at a local thrift store from Space X all never been worn still had the original price tags on them they were still over priced
Seems like it’s company policy to follow SpaceX, they’re making all the same moves, which to me is the obvious way to succeed! SpaceX is incredible, best wishes to these folks too, looks like they got game.
@Author B.L. Alley Musk is not the prime example of someone caring about the working class and workers rights but yes Bezos is in a different league of his own in exploiting workers.
I just love so much that we have tim asking actual engineering questions instead of the usual lifestyle fluff any other media would ask.
This is such a good video! So many interesting tidbits. Props to Firefly for letting you do this and being so open, Tim. Tom is such a likable and interesting guy. Cant wait for flight 2!
"It's always the connector" My mantra for electronics repair for over 50 years.
I agree seems like an amateur mistake.
@@leschortos9196 well like everything the connector looks perfectly fine until you shove it into a shaking and accelerating tube of angry metal riding an explosion.
I've worked in the A&D world for 15 years and the connectors are almost always the longest-lead parts for whatever we are making.
Connectors are always made by lower grade engineers.
So refreshing to have CEO's that know their product down to the wiring.
Not only do you get the best interviews and tours, it always seems like they're both really happy to have you there and with the questions you ask. Thanks for the upload Tim!
I love hands on CEOs who actually know what his company is doing on a technical details level.
19:03 rocking a spacex shirt!!!! just tells you how much spacex opened the space business to so many people and companies!!!
@Bence Bujdosó maybe, but is good to see they dont tell them to take it off. I dont know.
Yes, it was like Roger baniester movement. Musk has done this for both Space and EV's.
SpaceX McGregor is only about an hour from Firefly.
I work here at this site. We have lots of prior SpaceX and Blue Origin employees. Some of the OG ones too that made out on the stocks. They drive the nicer cars, lol
Nice shirt..!! Man of culture with out doubt 😁
Watching this as part of my preparation for an interview I have with Firefly... Wish me luck!
How'd it go?
Another legendary interview Tim. Well done and well done to Tom for taking the time to explain some of this stuff to us. Learnt a lot about rocket engines just from this interview. Well done to the Firefly team. Cant wait for their next launch.
Agree!
Why do I get emotional when a CEO becomes upfront honnest and passionate?
This should be the baseline, I should not feel surprised and happy about it :D
Honestly, I'm really jealous. I've never worked for someone like that. Maybe that should be a goal.
Tim is absolutely the MAN when it comes to quality interviews - I am now a Firefly fan!
He seems like such a humble and nice guy. I'm more excited than ever and them to succeed soon. My best of wishes
I have the amazing opportunity to interview with Firefly in the coming weeks. It's crazy to think that I'm going from watching Tim's videos to interviewing with a company like this, and all my knowledge comes from you, Tim! Keep up the great work!
Looks like a fantastic work environment. The CEO knows his rocketry AND his Firefly episodes. Good luck with your interview!
I've always thought that a good interviewer knows when to keep quiet and let the interviewee do the talking. Nice job Tim (& Tom). Thank you.
I'm only 22 minutes into this and I gotta say, Tim is doing a great interview! And Tom Markusic seems like a chill dude, nevermind the rocket-science brilliance that these two guys have.
Shout out to Tim and Firefly for welcoming everyone to experience the history of spaceflight in the making. It's a win-win-win as Tim gets great content, Firefly gets fantastic advertisement, and we get the access we all want
I love how you guys started right by the engine that was lit at the end of the interview. Really tied the whole interview together.
Very interesting video! A quick summary of some Firefly propulsion facts:
*ENGINE GENERAL INFO:* US combustion chamber, Ukrainian turbo-machinery. Tap-off cycle.
11:15 This engine uses a pintle injector
32:36 Combustion chamber runs at 1300 psi (90 Bar) Tap off 1100 psi (75 Bar) expands to about 30 psi (2 Bar) in the turbine
7:38 The temperature in the thrust chamber is 3000C, but the temperature of the gas fed to the turbine is 600C. This is achieved without any additional dilution of tapped off gas -- it just happens so due to the natural topology of the injector flows in the thrust chamber. [This is not quite clear -- the patent which Tom refers to, describes the upper stage "Lightning" engine, which does use tap-off gas dilution with fuel, and does not have the same injector.]
7:33 2.3 O/F ratio (36:23) 2.2 O/F in the first flight, but also run at 2.4-2.5 in tests.
30:50 The turbine rotates at 33K RPM, developing 900 HP [the torque is just under 200Nm, the total force acting on the blades on the order of 150 kgf]
6:43 11:42 The engine does not throttle, except for a little bit, by changing the pressure in the tanks. [Probably because the turbine is fed from the thrust chamber tap-off and depends on subtlety of the flow patterns at the engine head, this coupling makes thrust control much more difficult. That's one of the reasons why tap-off cycle is so rarely used.]
9:35 Turbine is started by Nitrogen spin start. Very low spin start is required before the engine bootstraps. "Could plug the nozzle to help it"
*THRUST CHAMBER*
6:02 11:00 Thrust chamber is high strength copper alloy liner [usually Copper-Zirconium-Chromium bronze in the USA] with nickel-cobalt electroplated on it. (Inspired by Shuttle main engine technology)
29:19 A forging for the thrust chamber liner. (narration at 26:42) it starts as a rough shape weighing about 600 kg. After machining the weight becomes approximately 40 kg.
31:58 24:47 Copper alloy engine liner at the machining area, (on the left). Lots of shavings!
35:58 "We can run the [combustion chamber] barrels without film cooling. In some engines we had film cooling in the throat area, where the heat flux is the greatest."
36:52 On film cooling orifices and chamber fabrication technology: "The chamber will have cooling channels milled into it and then we will put wax in those channels and then we'll electroplate nickel over that, and then we'll melt the wax out now you've got channels. That's how we make our cooling channels. Before you put the wax on when you have those channels if you just go a little bit above the throat and use 12 mil electro-discharge machining wire and just pop little holes through those cooling channels into the chamber before you plate it now you plate it and in those channels you have an array of little tiny holes above the converging section and that will inject jets of cold fuel."
26:13 "Just hired a new machine shop manager, who has experience in mass production of thrust chambers. Will be buying some new machinery that will allow to machine thrust chambers in hours instead of days that it takes now."
27:12 3D printing of the liner of this size is still not economical. [Launcher Space 3D prints a similar engine -- even using the turbopump from the same Ukrainian source.)]
*WARM GAS TAP OFF FROM COMBUSTION CHAMBER TO DRIVE THE TURBINE*
16:25 Tap off cycle was Firefly's call -- "fortunately it worked".
8:36 Tom talks about "not having any soot" but also seems to imply fuel rich gas; [But the original Ukranian turbine was designed for oxygen-rich cycle!] Says "we never had coking in the turbine" comparing to Gas Generators running at 0.3 O/F ratio and "puking soot."
30:02 Inconel tap-off manifolds on the shop floor. (narration at 25:30) Machined from forgings, will be 3D printed in the future.
*TURBOPUMP*
5:38 Soviet heritage turbomachinery [from RD-8 vernier engine of Zenit, developed in Ukraine] 200 people work[ed] on it in Ukraine for Firefly.
17:50 "the turbopump is clean-sheet design" [Starting as Soviet RD-8 engine, becoming Ukranian RD-809K engine, and now used in several engines all over the world -- in Korea, Germany and USA] Tom explains that LOX and RP-1 pumps are separate units, joined together by a coupler. [See cross-section of the RD-8 turbopump.]
30:50 Turbine wheel being made using the machining center. The turbine rotates at 33K RPM, developing 900 HP
===============
*MISC. TRIVIA*
20:44 Bulk LOX is super friendly, it even puts fires out. But hot oxygen gas burns the engine up in a white flash of light in a second.
33:46 At moderate combustion pressures (1300 psi) soot-carbon combustion products LOX/RP-1 condense on the walls of combustion chamber and form a natural thermal barrier which inhibits heat transfer. At higher pressures or higher O/F ratios this beneficial soot formation does not occur.
34:54 LOX-RP is amazing. Impulse density is on par with everything. In the balance of things, methane is a hassle.
37:45 In other engines, Tom have seen engine liner erosion that sometimes produced fuel leaks which provided film cooling preventing further erosion, after which engine ran happily.
51:00 Wasps cause serious problems by plugging with mud the vents that are necessary for actuating engine valves! Was a problem at SpaceX McGregor, caused engines to blow up. Must have screens on all vents!
---
21:37 Modern US metallurgy allows to create oxygen-rich staged combustion without special coatings.
22:45 Aerojet-Rocketdyne brazing oven for the combustion chambers, the largest in the world. Will allow to switch from electroplated nickel-cobalt thrust chambers to brazed steel jacketed engines.
5:24 The configuration of four engines gimballed in one axis each is inspired by looking at many Soviet rockets, where it is a common design.
You Legend.
Amazing stuff
Thank you!
Incredible summary. Thank you 🙏🏿
You're a legend bro
Not even half way through yet and this is a fantastic interview and Tom is very generous with his time and knowledge. Their first test was so close. They are going to be gaining a lot of new fans.
19:15 dude rockin' a SpaceX shirt.
I am happy to see this coverage. Tim is 1st class all the way. Love how he dives deep into the technical side of rockets, and can explain things so well to us that know little to nothing about that side of this business. Without Tim, we wouldn't have seen any coverage like this. Is you still haven't subscribed, please note, it's completely free. So is clicking like. One of the best things you can do to support Tim!
Tim, that smile on your face during the test fire says EVERYTHING!! I'm filled with envy!
wow, awesome. i love the way Everyday Astronaut makes all these thing so accessible for us. i've learned so much from this channel and make me so excited for space!
The list of companies led by great engineers who are willing to give the public a crash course in rocket science just keeps growing.
Absolutely love these tours, so many details to send me into a wiki-binge.
I think this has to be the smartest guy I've ever seen drinking a Monster energy.
... and the calmest : )
yes by giving monsters free advertising
I like it, unabashed.
Sure beats Lewis Hamilton on return on investment for Monster🤣
It's weird how it has that reputation in the States (and probably elsewhere) just by their marketing strategy. When I first tried that stuff I must've been in a good shape for that day as I actually felt it do something. Quite likely didn't have any coffee in a while, too.
So, given how that stuff (for me) is also the one energy drink which in it's standard flavor doesn't make me wanna leap from a 30th floor window, I, too, drink Monster, despite being quite intellent.
Guess the bashing just as well doesn't speak too much for intelligence, in itself (not considering negative properties of energy drinks in general). It's basically is a bias serving as an extension (gone bad) to the original marketing's success.
Tim, PLEASE DO THIS WITH JEFF BEZOS. It would only be a 2 minute video but Jeff would still learn a lot.
Steve Balmer with a rocket program to bring back Windows 98
Lexx Bezos 😂
It might seem crazy what I’m about to say
I come back to this comment to say I just watched the Everyday Astronaut do a walk around with Jeff. I’m impressed in a different way with Jeff and how he talks about the rockets. We need Elon’s and Jeff’s in this world. I think both are doing a great job. I was wrong about the 2 minutes… wish it had been 2 hours!
@@vfxsoupDude you are the most rational person I have encountered in a comment section in a long while. I wish more people (including me) were like you.
I'm so glad you're living your dream. You've worked hard and it's paying off big time.
I love him, he is just as passionate as elon, I'm really hoping for their next launch to succeed
Firefly has officially won me over. Soviet propulsion tech, the beautiful rocket itself, and I just love smallsat launchers. I'd love to work there as facility maintenance
That bit about oxygen rich was interesting
Soviet? I’m ignorant about firefly
Що ти пишеш ? Яка раша совєти ? Ти тупа 🤕
@@sc1338 watch the interview, he goes into it
Such an awesome interview. I think you are the best person to interview people in the rocket industry.
I really loved the quick chat with the machine operator that was making the turbine wheels. that was so down to earth, and showed how much the Firefly team cares about what they do.
You have such a great style in asking these geniuses questions that allow them to share their thought process behind the innovation they are creating. Keep Up the great work.
19:40 love the way Tom takes a double take at one of his rocket engineers sporting a SpaceX T-shirt then just moves on as if it’s nothing unusual lol
Would not surprise me if they worked for X in the past.
Woahhhhh!
shows the great comradery between the us space companies (minus blue origin of course lol)
I think he was more looking at the nozzle & what they were doing, especially after the slight clang from the tool dropping. "You guys aren't putting dents in the nozzle, are ya?" :D
I live nearby, and can confirm a lot of the engineers come from SpaceX
It sounds like Tom Markusic has learned a lot from working for Elon at SpaceX's rocket engine department in how to speed rocket development up. Develop, test, learn, repeat and try new ways of doing the most with the least parts. Really cool that Tom worked with past Soviet rocket engine scientist, from the Ukraine, for designing a key part of the current engine! Thanks Tim for interviewing the heads of various Rocket companies and showing how there methods are different and where they are the same.
I doubt he will get into BO for a tour with Jeff tho...
Thank you for knowing that "a lot" is not one word.
Or maybe Elon learned a lot from Tom…
@@sm3ttz Just imagine Jeff giving a talk about BE-4 special shape injectors
Jeez Tim, your just killing lately. We all seriously appreciate the work you and you're teams do
Never have i ever seen a rocket ceo go like “Well this electrical connector..” and goes and just points to that connector. The visuals here are Amazing. Great job Tim ! Also.. beautifull rocket with a great name
Too bad you did not ask If they know the Root Cause of the failure.
This interview with Tom and his showcasing of their operations was totally interesting and inspiring.
Didn’t realize that Tim with both these interviews is so in tune with rocket technology which makes these interesting interviews . Great work Tim .
Another tour?! Dude you're killing at the rocketry journalism game, and I am here for it!
Hi from Ukraine! Awesome interview!
I went into this not wanting to like them, but Tom really won me over.
I used to run Mazaks at my old job so it was super cool to see their machine shop thanks so much to Firefly and Tim for sharing
I just became a big Firefly fan!
22:11 it's amusing one of the engineers/technicians has a SpaceX shirt
moonlighting, like how drivers do Uber and Lyft
Most of these guys across companies are buddies or fans of space in general
Based on Google Earth, Firefly Aerospace and SpaceX's McGregor facilities are about 70-75km away from each other.
I believe this company was formed by people who previously worked for Spacex and blue origin
@@kierancalverley220 I think that's relativity
Thankyou Tom and Tim! This interview gave me such confidence in your ability to get to space. Thankyou for being so open with your technology. Its time to turn into the space age.
This was a great tour! Thank you Tom Markusic and thank you Tim Dodd, I enjoyed it greatly.
This was a fantastic interview. I knew next to nothing about Tom Markusic or Firefly - they were just "yet another NewSpace company" in my mind. Now they're my favorite of all the new startups. I'm far more impressed with Markusic than I thought I'd be. I had no idea he had so much experience doing propulsion work at the Air Force, NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic.
Not through the whole interview yet. Taking it in stages. Could you elaborate a bit on why it is your favorite startup? I don't quite get what their unique angle is. SpaceX is all about full reuse, unconventional material choice like stainless steel, supersized rocket etc. While Rocket Lab which is my favorite after they presented Neutron is all about using unconventional material such as Carbon fibre composite and really leverage the advantage of that to make some really cool choices like hung second stage and first stage with fairings attached.
Thanks Tim, again like Elon's interviews really insightful learned more about Firefly in twenty minutes than all the normal media for five years. Earplugs next time maybe, lol. I know you don't normally, but can you DM me when you get a chance. I have something to share with you that might be a story. Gadget NZ
Oh thats so Great. I was first like "yeah little teststand tour okay" but its really great techtalk all the way through!
Great guys over there at ff
I think this is a better tour video than the last SpaceX one. Great video, and Tom is an awesome tour guide.
When your workshop tour guide is later blurring out some stuff in his video, then you know that you were in the middle of the kitchen. Thank you Tim for that fascinating video. You are top notch!
I so hope this is going to become a series just a day walking with rocket company ceos
Tim is both knowledgeable and fair in his coverage. Naturally that makes folks very willing to give him in debt interviews. Tim is really a great asset for all of us.
Hey Tim, just wanted to pop in here and say: You're the best! 🥰
Great tour, informative conversation. Thanks for being the fly on the wall (the mud dobber in the nozzle). Cheers to Tom Markusic for the access and wisdom.
I really want to see an interview next year with Relativity Space, their additive manufacturing approach is very unique
Veritasium did a factory tour and interview with relativity.
Hey Tim, It was fun to meet you at the stand and glad you got to see the Reaver lit in person. You should swing by for stage qual. 🤘
Tim, You rock! What a great interview , visit and tour. I love your excitement and enthusiasm.
They love space and everyone who shares their love for space. It's more of a partnership than a competition, though competition does drive the bleeding edge.
Tom and Tim, great interview. With such a talented and humble CEO Firefly really deserves a place at the table of recent and future space development and exploration.
"So cool!"
This in-depth content is great. Thanks Tim and Tom!
Thanks to you Tim we have the front row seats watching this new space exploration era unfold right before our eyes. Incredible people doing awesome stuff!
Compare these tours with Destin's tour of the ULA factory, these companies are not worried at all about showing things because they know it doesnt do any good to see the parts.
even with the complete starship tutorial, jeffrey besos still won't get to orbit
@@kennethkho7165 You can't sue your way to the moon!
Thank you so much Tim, Tom and Firefly Aerospace for this awesome video.
These interviews are just so great and interesting, like this is journalism and content creation at its finest. Especially because you have an interviewer and interviewee than both obviously know a lot are confident in what they are talking about
I like this guy, he seems to respect his fellow rocket leaders in a way that Im not sure they would in return.
Interviews don't get much better than this one. Great questions and even better answers. This interview met and very much exceeded my expectations. Thank you.
Amazing video again! Also, rocket engines firing up and doing their stuff never gets old.
Honestly these guys are so chill, you wouldn’t even know if they were aerospace engineers
He did it again. What a madman.
I love that some of the other private space fairing companies are starting to showcase what’s going on underneath the hood. Tim, you’re brilliant man. For doing these insider interviews and your knowledge on propulsion. So cool, please keep em’ coming!
Imagine a black Firefly rocket with a massive green Monster logo on it going to orbit.
Sure would give off a different message than BMX bikes and monster trucks
Great video. I love how you ask such pertinent questions about some (what would seem) minor detail which fires up a great open response from Tom.
Great interview,.I love that the CEO is giving us a show and tell..NASA, Elon Musk started this transparency in the aerospace industry so it's really cool that Tom is doing the same with Firefly.
Thanks, TIM, for bringing us into the "brave new world" of commercial space! I love the fact that these big company heads, like Tom and Elon, trust you enough to do so. Definitely not Norminal! Love what you do and the enthusiasm with which you do it.
Talking rockets while sipping on a monster, my kind of rocket engineer lol.
I can't discard totally that he did it for the memes.
I swear Tim gets the absolute BEST top dog interviews. You don't see this out of the major channels. Probably cuz they'd chop and only release snippets of a very scripted in studio only interviews with channel leanings if they even care enough about the industry to do one. The only censoring I see is to protect their intellectual or privacy and there's no political spin on it whatsoever.
Keep up the epic work.
Let's hope they don't get cancelled by the investors, before they even finish the first season.
I'm really looking forward to see it light up in orbit and travel to new frontiers.
I didn't see any guys wearing blue gloves, so they probably have a few more episodes to make.
Your interviews are master courses on rocketry. Great questions. Interviewees are awesome communicators. Their excitement is palpable.
I can’t help but compare this interview to the 3 part series Tim just did with Elon. Both are great for their own reasons, I enjoy this one for how well spoken Tom is and how is and how clearly he is able to explain all the details and specs in plain English with little to no jargon. Elon, whom I admire, I have to admit is a bit harder to follow andthe listener must work harder to extract all the details.
Musk has to be pretty careful just what he says...
@@gregbailey45 100% the left wing mob hate him, he walks the walk but refuses to talk their talk. So he's garbage to them. Such caring, such inclusivity.
@@Ashborn- I dont think he thinks in words he sees all of the things and has to get the picture to words and has to translate through a filter, space still has a lot of Protected items.
There's also some where Destin talks to Tory Bruno on Smarter Everyday, touring the ULA factory & talking engines.
This is the best video I have ever watched, space related or otherwise. Thank you!
“We’ll cut that out don’t worry”
Haha *NOPE*
what time haha ?
18:54
@@peterwmdavis That guy has a spacex t shirt xD
Firefly rocks, thank you Tim great questions, CHEERS Tom for you time and being so down to Earth and open with the public love watching
"firefly" aerospace with a "reaver" engine, I hope they have a midbulk transport 03-K64 Firefly class ship in the works.
Great video Tim! So thankful for the work you do!
43:30 i want to know more about the box the intern is making.
Wow, Tim can talk rocket engine with the best of them. Good job Tim!!
Wonderful interview. BTW the nitty gritty details of the motors was total gold. Please keep doing this.
Not holding my breath for the Bezos Blue Origin walkthrough. 😀
Amazing opportunity and you are the perfect person for it. Asking the real questions rather than fluff!
so when are you going to make a " wasps against human spacetravel " shirt? :D this was so good Tim!
Or a song
Amazing video Tim ! Great interview skills.
Loved how open Tom is about showing and explaining stuff. Kudos to y'all at Firefly Aerospace