800 Years of Rocket Engines, To Scale

The evolution of the rocket engine, from a paper tube of black powder in 1232 to SpaceX's Raptor 3 in 2026. Eighteen engines, each drawn to true scale next to a person, with how they work and why they mattered. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:09 1232 Fire arrow (China) 0:29 1780 Mysorean rocket (India) 0:49 1806 Congreve rocket (UK) 1:09 1926 Goddard's first liquid-fuel rocket (USA) 1:29 1942 V-2 (Germany) 1:49 1957 RD-107 (USSR) 2:09 1963 RL10 (USA) 2:29 1967 F-1 (USA) 2:49 1979 Viking (France / Europe) 3:09 1981 RS-25 (USA) 3:29 1987 RD-170 (USSR) 3:49 1994 LE-7 (Japan) 4:09 2002 RS-68 (USA) 4:29 2013 Merlin 1D (USA) 4:49 2015 YF-100 (China) 5:09 2017 Rutherford (New Zealand / USA) 5:29 2024 BE-4 (USA) 5:49 2026 Raptor 3 (USA) 6:09 All eighteen, to scale 6:30 Sea-level thrust compared 6:46 794 years Years are first flights, first recorded use, or (for 1232) the earliest reported use, which historians still debate. Engine sizes for BE-4, YF-100 and Rutherford, and the LE-7 nozzle width, are estimated from photos because they are not published. Engine drawings are simplified illustrations based on reference photos. Sources Fire arrow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_arrow History of rockets (1232 reports of fire arrows): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rockets Mongol siege of Kaifeng: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_siege_of_Kaifeng Mysorean rockets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysorean_rockets Congreve rocket: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congreve_rocket Goddard, first liquid-propellant rocket (Smithsonian NASM): https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/robert-goddard-and-first-liquid-propellant-rocket Goddard collection, Clark University: https://commons.clarku.edu/goddardlaunch/ V-2 rocket: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2_rocket V-2 propulsion (Rocket Propulsion Evolution): https://www.enginehistory.org/Rockets/RPE02/RPE02-2.shtml RD-107: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RD-107 RL10: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RL10 Rocketdyne F-1: https://en.wi