The Worst Looking Rockets Ever Designed!

[@MattLowne]

*Untitled Space Craft has entered the chat*

[@destroyishere4655]

Well hello there Matt, how's the whiskey?

[@ifocus1279]

Hahahahaha so true

[@Superbdul_1]

@@destroyishere4655 heeh lol

[@apratimtewari4288]

Matt please atleast make episode 69 of Velocity Lake 😟

[@tamilanimatedstories5610]

What do you say about using whiskey to fill up proton instead of vodka ?

[@robspecht9550]

You say “Failed after 45 seconds”. I say “Succeeded Gloriously for 44 seconds”.

[@dwdadevil]

@Had Tobe Stop spamming

[@turtlecat0262]

@@dwdadevil Report and block him

[@3ctjhseolere]

@Had Tobe Pseudoscience is not accepted here, just like your pseudo-rationale.

[@useodyseeorbitchute9450]

Mostly peaceful flight...

[@BluntStuff]

@Had Tobe Any credible citations for your "information?" Or just going to reiterate it's flatness by saying it is? Who's duping who? Informing people usually takes...well, information. Not just baseless statements.

[@LowieDM]

To give a perspective on how many aerospace students actually watch scott manley. I (an aerospace student) recently used a scott manley video as a reference in an assignment. When my group member saw that I used him as a reference, not only did they not object but everyone agreed that it was probably the best reference in the entire assignment.

[@scottmanley]

Warning. I have zero engineering qualifications. I'm trained as a physicist.

[@LowieDM]

@@scottmanley it was for a physics thing so I guess we’re good

[@SVSky]

@@scottmanley I read that in your voice heh

[@nitehawk86]

@@scottmanley Assuming a spherical rocket...

[@LowieDM]

@@nitehawk86 spheres are actually among the most aerodynamically inefficient shapes there are

[@the_kraken6549]

“The worst looking rockets ever designed” My KSP monstrosities: “PATHETIC”

[@makssachs8914]

If it's stupid but works then it's not stupid.

[@Hevach]

"Single stage to orbit!" "It's 36 stages, you just put them sideways."

[@Claym1x]

All of my ssto’s are basically rockets but on their sides with a crew cabin attached to the faring or something

[@acnine-ball8976]

You ever seen someone put together a manned rover lab, drills, and ISRU, with XL wheels and a rocket on the back all as a single payload not covered with an airfoil? That was my first successful lunar rover/base system and it looked hideous.

[@luma8212]

LMAO🤣🤣🤣

[@sortadecentgaming2348]

"Assemble a team of aesthetically challenged engineers and have them fight against the natural tendency of a rocket to look cool" Best Scott Manley quote going so far

[@derkeksinator17]

That's just me and a friend of mine playing KSP.

[@Hungary_0987]

true

[@bcubed72]

Manley: "This is the ugliest rocket ever!" Jeb Kerman: "Hold my hydrazine."

[@Meister_Knobi]

*Wernher von Kerman

[@magnemoe1]

Yes, made some rockets in KSP who make the ones in this list look very sleek.

[@longshot7601]

Why isn't New Shepard on that list? It can't be for just orbital class rockets as Dr Goddard's rocket was on that list...even though I don't think it should have been number one.

[@garethhanby]

@@longshot7601 New Shepard always looks vaguely familiar.

[@ks.doherty]

*liquid fuel

[@ComradePhoenix]

That Jupiter III reminds me of the classic "Untitled Space Craft" monstrosity.

[@gajbooks]

But it would get to space, with enough auto struts.

[@clearingbaffles]

Which Jupiter took the Robinson’s and the rest on a 3 hour tour to Alpha Centauri

[@hyperboloidofonesheet1036]

The sort of thing you'd get when you spend 3 hours designing the perfect landing craft and then realize you don't have nuclear engines unlocked for that Moho mission.

[@zapfanzapfan]

If it gets 170 tons towards the Moon, looks are less important :-)

[@jeremyjordan2176]

After 4 beers making a Jupiter III in KSP sounds like a fantastic idea.

[@aleverettes2789]

"This is flight control, we are unable to terminate the launch vehicle" -"For what reason?" "The angry rocket designer physically restrained me"

[@CarpIXOYE]

this part killed me.... no I meant it. there I was, chomping down on some grass peacefully near a Mexican airfield... 💥

[@somethinglikethat2176]

Tbf to the rocket designer, he may have picked up some of that unfortunate attitude to safety from his previous employer.

[@stephenanderle5422]

A.M. Annex Mexico! Or else!

[@stephenanderle5422]

Is it square too?

[@Dzharek]

DO NOT DESTROY ZE ROCKET, IT IS SUPPOSED TO HIT FOREIGN COUTRIES AND IT SHALL DO THIZ! Or the German was like "No, not ze DATA, i need them!, destroying it now is not efficient!"

[@simvalue]

"Lets flame rocket designs for 12 minutes" Scott Manyley truly is the Technology Connections of Space

[@ronschlorff7089]

Right, but at least all of them have the "pointy end (s) up and the flamey end (s) down"!! ;D

[@kerbalengineeringsystems7415]

@@ronschlorff7089 well, maybe not goddard's

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@kerbalengineeringsystems7415 yup, he was "ahead" of his time,.... get it!! :D

[@sachadavid]

"If you want to churn out an ugly launch vehicle you have to actually assemble an entire team of aesthetically challenged engineers and have them fight against the natural tendency for rockets to look cool." There is definitely some Lord Pratchett in this man.

[@tarmaque]

You mean "Sir Pterry." GNU Terry Pratchett

[@jonslg240]

Pterry pfunny.

[@machirim2805]

New Shepard is the latest entrant in the ‘ugliest rocket ever’ pageant.

[@TheZoltan-42]

To accentuate: The last V2 rocket fired at another nation and cause damage was one fired by the USA at Mexico. :)

[@MatthewGaming-]

Source?

[@TheZoltan-42]

@@MatthewGaming- Have you watched this video?

[@sawyerawr5783]

It's New Mexico trying to prove its the superior Mexico XD (seeing as it launched out of white sands I feel this qualifies!) Also I'm a New Mexican so I can say that.

[@Ziglerp]

@@sawyerawr5783 no, no he’s got a point

[@sujalshetty5986]

@@adamkerman475 did you watch the video?

[@zapfanzapfan]

To me, Proton is the most rocket-looking rocket of all. I might be biased from too much SciFi though :-)

[@polygorg]

No it looks great

[@rhodexa]

Proton ‘look’ pretty rocketish. I like that, but it is not elegant uwu

[@Gnevnyj]

Yeah, I don't side with Scott on this one. It is beautiful.

[@rhodexa]

@@Gnevnyj When he said “Proton” i said “Wha??”

[@Raymorx]

Starship.

[@vardicd1477]

Scott: Talks about the SRB-X's awkward gap between boosters. Me: Looks at half a dozen similar rocket designs of my own in KSP. "In my defense, they worked."

[@samuraidriver4x4]

If it wobbles more struts right?

[@hydrochloricacid2146]

@@samuraidriver4x4 not with Kerbal Joint Reinforcement

[@hydrochloricacid2146]

@Had Tobe what does that even mean? How can something be semi-flat? Are you just being facetious about it being an oblate spheroid? Would semi-flat be like a cylinder?

[@rhode5859]

@Had Tobe oh hey had Tobe how's it going

[@samuellove9619]

@@hydrochloricacid2146 it'ss just spamming the comments, pay the drone no mind

[@ClemensAlive]

Where is basically EVERY Blue Origin rocket?

[@extradimension7356]

Seriously ... My old man used to work for NASA (Marshal Space Flight Center) and he joked that the American rockets and space hardware look like the White House and the Russian rockets and Hardware look like the Kremlin. And Bezos I guess needs something to keep the GF happy.

[@trainboi014]

I think they look pretty nice?

[@jrobin1836]

The New Sheppard has a pronounced pornographic character. Scott May have avoided that rocket to avoid the possibility of losing his channel.

[@SomeoneExchangeable]

In your mom's drawer I presume...

[@Jesus_Christ_loves_you_alot]

@@jrobin1836 absolutely disgusting oversized short and stubby fuel tank with rocket engines.

[@vikkimcdonough6153]

2:29 - I don't know; the Ariane 4 looks pretty cute to me in an endearingly Kerbal sort of way.

[@totallynoteverything1.]

Jupiter 3 also looks coll Scott Manley can't change my mind about it

[@totallynoteverything1.]

It looks like one of my old space station launch vehicles (I used to make single launch space station cause I was too lazy to dock)

[@gastonbell108]

A big part of why Ariane was so bizarre looking was that it was French. While I don't normally engage in stereotypes, anything in France that costs a lot of money or involves the government *absolutely must* be so uniquely Gallic as to remove any possibility that it might be mistaken for (or accused of benefiting from) any other country's handiwork or insight. During the Gaullist period, the French went out of their way to ensure that basically every aspect of their manufacturing process (military and civilian) was incompatible with British, German and American systems. They neither wished nor intended for any of it to be useful outside of France or her colonies. The consequences to this policy were obvious and manifold (and remain obvious to anybody who's ever driven a Peugeot prior to around 2003), but it has been an article of pride in French manufacturing for over a century that "the French copy no-one, and no-one copies the French."

[@MichaelKire]

First one looks like one of those Oral-B electric toothbrushes lul

[@christheother9088]

Prostate massager.

[@ScottyAlmondjoy]

This is correct, and that’s why we love it.

[@nitehawk86]

@@ScottyAlmondjoy Which one are you replying to? Actually, no. I don't want to know.

[@MichaelKire]

@Had Tobe you are semi-flat

[@namewarvergeben]

1:03 me, an aerospace engineering student: *frantically taking notes*

[@Tjalve70]

You know you can pause it, right? And even watch it a second, third, and twentieth time? ;-)

[@nitehawk86]

@@Tjalve70 At first I thought you mean pausing a rocket that is in flight.

[@Joopyter724]

0:24 Thats where you should be taking notes

[@luxwilliams1351]

Tjalve As an aerospace engineering student, what is rewatching? I only know how to watch at 1.25x

[@kerbodynamicx472]

Also me a KSP player: frantically takes notes...

[@Fluffyfauchs]

5:58 they even included the kerbal struts for extra stability

[@Bretaxy]

A lot of rockets have them

[@coltonhard7841]

The Arriane 44LP honestly looks like every rocket you make in KSP during early mid career

[@derfvcderfvc7317]

Hey the Proton is a damn good looking rocket, it has great proportions between the false side boosters and the core.

[@Zeithri]

> Gather a Team of Aesthetically challenged Engineers I died.

[@andrewpriest9403]

Of all the rocket tasks, that's probably the easiest part.

[@jasonreed7522]

I thought all engineers were Aesthetically challenged. (As an EE I can assure you i can't art)

[@SuperAWaC]

Yeah I was thinking that is a pretty easy task

[@Blubb5000]

5:45 “or it lost its will to live” Scott, I just almost choked on my chicken nuggets.

[@Soggyboot99548]

Same literally exactly the same

[@Kryptictails]

CHRIS AND RYLAN THE LONG LOST TWINS Coming to Netflix on March 16, 2022

[@sawyerawr5783]

that rocket is a crime against my optical receptors...

[@davidwright7193]

The triple solid rocket booster design looks like the kind of thing you get when you are spacing your boosters in KSP to ensure they have snapped to the separators rather than the core tank.

[@aguywhodoesstuff1116]

and so the s4 sized boosters I use dont crash into the main ship

[@Moon___man]

@@aguywhodoesstuff1116 thats what sepratrons are for!

[@wildbill7267]

"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts.." Han Solo on the Millennium Falcon

[@daszieher]

You can say that about many girls...

[@DrWhom]

you came in that thing? you are braver than I thought.

[@k-osmonaut8807]

@@DrWhom hold the f*ck up

[@Golinth]

“Have them fight against the natural tendency for rockets to look cool” lmfao that’s hilarious

[@stevegoodson9022]

Your helicopter joke reminded me of an old friend who'd been in the army - he described the Chinook as 10,000 nuts and bolts flying in close formation.

[@milantrcka121]

Or "A helicopter is a collection paf parts desperately trying to get away from each other"

[@yourhandlehere1]

@@milantrcka121 Just keep the "Jesus Nut" tight, you'll be ok. The Bell 47 is beautiful and the most helicoptery helicopter. Just sitting on a bench out in mid air, no doors. You can feel yourself hanging from that rotor.

[@tonywilson4713]

I'm pretty certain of this but its been years since I read this book, so don't hold me to it. In the introduction (by Neil Armstrong) to the book "Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon" there's a story about each author (Shepard & Slayton). The one about Slayton was from his test pilot days. I pretty sure it was the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and Deke nearly lost one in a spin test. He was told to bail out but didn't because he still had a lot of altitude. He worked the problem and eventually recovered the plane. After it landed and after he got out the ground crew opened up the bomb bad doors and they said 1000's of rivets and other small bits of metal just fell on the ground. You know that scene in the Blues Brothers when they get out of the car and it just falls apart - yup like that. So the Chinook's not the only case of bits of metal flying in close formation.

[@blackace7782]

Yeah my pa used to call it the "shit-hook" because the maintenance cost was ridiculous

[@tonywilson4713]

@@blackace7782 One of the other jokes fixed wing guys have about choppers. _There's 2 kinds of chopper - ridiculously expensive and idiotically expensive._

[@vannoo67]

A team of aesthetically challenged engineers - or engineers

[@traviscecil3903]

It's funny...because it's true.

[@timocallaghan4408]

I rate this comment highly

[@millenniumf1138]

Alternatively, engineers who were told to design the rockets and make them look good, and they took umbridge at having to waste time on "pointless aesthetics" so they made their design look as ugly as possible as a "fuck you" to management.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

"Honey, have you seen my plaid pants?" "The beige ones?" "No, green."

[@ykjt91]

Came to the comments looking for BO’s New Shepard. Was not disappointed

[@nitehawk86]

Saw it fly today. It might look awkward going up, but it looked damn smooth coming down.

[@hotshit62]

Should have been added as an honorable mention at the very least

[@Snowmunkee]

He'd probably get demonitized for showing it

[@jesusmora9379]

@@nitehawk86 yes because it doesn't get to orbit

[@AraneaHY]

Was going to say it. I thought I was the only one that thought that New Shepard is kinda ugly, and with a "funny" shape if you know what I mean...

[@ryanmcnair3451]

Scott, you continue to amaze me with your depth of knowledge on orbital mechanics, propulsion systems and space in general. Us space geeks thirsty for knowledge are lucky to have you at our fingertips on you tube. Love all your videos. Keep on keeping on.

[@SergeantSarge]

I've always loved the Proton because of all the extra tanks - has a very Gerry Anderson feel to it

[@johnkoenig326]

It's on it's way to backwards-Earth.

[@stevenemert837]

"Helicopters fly because they're so ugly the ground repels them!" LOL. Honestly never heard that one before.

[@Jayberisk3793]

Neither have I, and honestly most are actually rather elegant in my eyes

[@TheR971]

"possibly because the stage separation failed....or because it lost the will to live" got me pretty hard as well.

[@filyn]

I've heard this one but it was about bumblebees 😂😂

[@thomashiggins9320]

I always heard, "Twenty-thousand moving parts that fly in formation, by beating the air into submission."

[@jackryan2612]

@@Jayberisk3793 what about 90 percent of sikorskys?

[@Chriva]

I'll be very, very disappointed if blue origin's space shlong is not in this list :P

[@konyp1]

Some say it is modeled after Jeff Bezos himself.

[@bonbin6053]

@@konyp1 hmm

[@mattjackson9859]

Liberty Bell-End 7

[@bonbin6053]

*S P A C E SCHLONG*

[@joemiele1296]

@@bonbin6053 is not in space for schlong!

[@stefrong2260]

"I've never got over the disappointment of realizing that the first stage isn't surrounded by strap on boosters" I can totally relate to that

[@KnightRanger38]

My view of the Proton first stage - a slightly uglier version of the Saturn I/ Saturn IB first stage...

[@t65bx25]

@@KnightRanger38 I mean, that pretty much is the Proton. The little brother of a moon rocket.

[@mauricegold9377]

@Had Tobe What can space rocketry possibly mean to brain-dead flat-earthers?

[@MartinMizner]

Why did Proton has ugly fairings looking like they were made from insulation or recycled clothes?

[@JohnDoe-tx8eu]

Size queen identified

[@PaulSpades]

Ohhh, wow. Jupiter 3 looks cool as hell, what are you on about? Now, that's recycling! The diversity of shapes, sizes and tech! The symmetry! I'm in love.

[@lutenic6111]

"Or it lost the will to Live!" Sounds quite possible!

[@fl00fydragon]

The Atlas: An oversized delivery system for horse tranquilizers The Ariane: I'd never call it ugly The proton: is like something straight out of flash gordon, I actually love it. It's successors demand I take mind bleach. The OTRAG..... I wish there was a time machine to prevent its conception. The scud thing: ugly, the wings save it from being horrid. The conastoga 1620: Scud thing without the wings, looks like a bunch of crayons taped on a sex toy The Aries X-1: "have you seen a buttplug fly?" The SRB-x: social distancing The Jupiter 3: "We need more struts" The navajo cruise missile: flash gordon aesthetic, could easily see it in movie. Me likey a lot. The V-2 hermes: "Kill.....meeeeee" The Goddard prototype: "I did a school project and coined it as a serious science project"

[@timocallaghan4408]

I think the Ariane looks interesting the same way the pompidou centre looks interesting.. There is such a thing as 'ínterestingly ugly'

[@masterman1502]

Ariane: the one that shits the bed every time

[@fl00fydragon]

@Had Tobe WTF have you been smoking?

[@vocassen]

@@fl00fydragon just report him for spam. Poor misguided soul (or troll, don't really care) replies to every comment on this video with the same copy-paste bs

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@fl00fydragon what ever it is,... apparently not enough of it!! :D

[@MoonWeasel23]

Scott: *dislikes Soviet architecture rocket* Me: “you are accused of anti soviet behavior. The court finds you guilty and sentences you to be shot.”

[@jm56585]

OUR ROCKETS

[@ApocolypseChild]

20 years, straight to gulag!

[@TheNasaDude]

What? No Gulag?

[@donjones4719]

No, sentenced to a Gulag labor camp to make Proton rockets.

[@noelwade]

"In Soviet Russia, Rocket Fires YOU!" [please tell me I'm not so old that no one gets a Yakov Smirnoff reference]

[@PatrickSwackhammer]

My favorite line was about the Jupiter 3: “It was a frankenrocket served with a massive helping of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.” LOL!

[@achtsekundenfurz7876]

Scott said it looked like someone abused Shuttle leftovers to lift Apollo leftovers into space, or something like that. I think it looks like a mishmash of American space history trying to yeet half a Hindenburg straight into the sun. 09:33

[@EDEPole]

"I'm Scott Manley, fly safe...and in style!"

[@TheStarshipGarage]

Jupiter III: when your only experience with rocketry is in KSP and you want something ridiculously huge

[@mariusschaefer5396]

SLS with a crew dragon...

[@diesistkeinname795]

At least Orion on a F9 would kind of make sense...

[@pinochet3317]

CURSED

[@X-JAKA7]

9:10 - 9:42 It's like the SLS on heavy duty steroids.

[@nasaman5440]

NO GOD, NO GOD PLEASE NO, NO! NO! NOOOOO!

[@robmc3338]

How about mounting a Shuttle onto of a Starship super heavy booster? Lol

[@TechyBen]

Scott: "There's an alternate history out there..." Secret Moon base: [Sweats profusely]

[@achtsekundenfurz7876]

*IRON SKY* has entered the chat

[@jasonchiu272]

Rocket scientists: I call this bold and brash Scott: More like BELONGS IN THE TRASH

[@williamswenson5315]

There is definitely the beginnings of a limerick there.

[@jovian2583]

@Had Tobe Ok how does the earth orbiting the sun working in a way that half the world can be in darkness while the other side has light and for that matter how can the moon be seen from basically anywhere and also how do you explain hundreds of thousands of hundred thousands of pictures of the earth having a obvious curvature also how would people be able to circumnavigate the world. Or how gravity works. OR HOW IT CAN MAKE SENSE TO A HUMAN BEING THAT EARTH IS FLAT WHILE ALL OTHER PLANETS AREN’T. OR HOW NO NASA EMPLOYEE WOULD HAVE COME OUT AND SPOKEN ABOUT HOW EVERYONE HAS BEEN LIED TO FOR CENTURIES. Jesus Christ we humans are doomed if people like you really exist

[@jovian2583]

@Had Tobe I never said I was right about the earth being round, I just asked for evidence about how anything that we know would work. Also so you are going to wait like a year or two and spend the millions of dollars that it’s probably gonna take to buy a starship ticket, just to find out that you ARE WRONG?

[@dandeprop]

Hi Scott--The structure of the early Atlas vehicles had a weakness in the upper end of the LOX tank. The Able upper stage(s) put LARGE bending loads on the upper end of the Atlas due to the distance between the Able stage CP and the attach point to the Atlas. It was pretty well doomed to failure from the outset.

[@duckhoward]

Wow, you just shat on most of my KSP designs. Thanks a lot Scott

[@pinochet3317]

“Worst Looking Rockets ever Designed” I think you forgot to add “Untitled Space Craft”...

[@michaelfoye1135]

So Pinochet.. free low earth transits for commies?

[@ryanspence5831]

Jupiter III is Untitled Space Craft lite

[@dosmastrify]

You just won ksp

[@pinochet3317]

@@michaelfoye1135 Yes! But Pinochet’s Commie Control co. is on hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, we are scheduled for a reopening in March 2021

[@michaelfoye1135]

@@pinochet3317 We cannot allow the Chinese Communist Party Virus to stop us.

[@WiseSnake]

The Atlas Able looks like someone's attempt to send the world's largest cotton swab into space.

[@williamswenson5315]

I would not want to meet the ear that would require one that size...

[@Keavon]

Thor-Able is oftentimes referred to as the "cue tip rocket".

[@toadelevator]

The particular pose is not provocative.....except in front of an Atlas Able.

[@ronschlorff7089]

due to its launch success (aka failure) record it was aptly nick-named the "Atlas-Unable"!! ;D

[@im_skipachu]

Scott Manley's Rocket Roast... LOL. We could use a little more comedy. :)

[@charlesboyer61]

"Looks pretty, flies pretty." -- an old aviation axiom.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Gee Bee, anyone?

[@psmirage8584]

"It was a Frankenrocket served with a massive helping of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot." Brilliant.

[@andrephan96]

New Shepard looks like a member.

[@DKTAz00]

hah! xD

[@OnboardG1]

Dr Evil called, he wants his rocket back

[@weschilton]

A member of the "Mile High Club"

[@kpkndusa]

It need two spherical external tanks at the bottom.

[@catfish552]

Girthy!

[@frizzon]

How dare you include the Proton in this list mister!!

[@Warriorking.1963]

I was a bit surprised at that too. I think it looks pretty cool.

[@sindhu9084]

Yes the Proton Looks Cool.But yes,Everyone has their own Reasons.

[@Hyperlooper]

I'm sorry Scott, but that Russian rocket is pure art.

[@ronschlorff7089]

I agree; now go to your local museum of "modern art" for confirmation, folks!! LOL :D

[@Hyperlooper]

@@ronschlorff7089 I see your point. 😂

[@kommandantgalileo]

when Sergey Korolyov makes them

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@kommandantgalileo I wonder what he and Werner would think of Starship? Art Deco? ;D

[@sindhu9084]

@@ronschlorff7089 He will be Proud because of the capability and the use for it.

[@steverpcb]

I am surprised that they moved to the Jupiter 3 after the Jupiter 2 was lost in space :)

[@rocketsometimeslaunches8902]

No words but fantastic for this comment

[@oberonpanopticon]

3:09 it’s the rocket science equivalent of learning that Santa Claus isn’t real

[@potatosordfighter666]

I've built a couple of these in KSP. It's also good to know that I have the same rocket building strategy as soviet russia did, as in just strap more shit to it until it gets there.

[@dudermcdudeface3674]

This kind of rocketry is why the adjective "chodely" must exist.

[@juanandresmendezmartinez8024]

What would it mean? My brain is way too smooth to comprehend

[@jackmcslay]

"Strap-on booster" sounds like something you would find at a sax shop

[@hoghogwild]

I've never been in a saxaphone shop.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@hoghogwild took my line,........ thanks a bunch!! :D LOL

[@molosomari]

Remove the Proton from this list and replace it with the Sea Dragon...

[@tnapeepeelu]

Yes

[@nasasjanitor994]

Goodness me, I just searched the Sea Dragon on Google, and man! That thing is ugly.

[@sumreensultana1860]

And It's a frinkin monstrosity ugly

[@FanaticTentacle]

Best quote ever: "aesthetically challenged engineers" I just thought about some people at work and had to laught way too hard! Thanks Scott you made my day!

[@CrowDepartment]

‘Apparently at one point during testing they filled this whole thing with vodka’

[@williamswenson5315]

I believe the V-2 flew using ethanol derived from potatoes.

[@owensmith7530]

It was to test the tanks. Couldn't use real fuel or oxidiser as hypergolics are really nasty. Too cold to use water because of risk of it freezing. Solution, use industrial quantities of vodka!

[@CrowDepartment]

@@owensmith7530 Brilliant Russians they were

[@MrAzazel666]

V-2 engineers frequently got drunk on the V-2's 75% ethanol. Not very often people get drunk from drinking rocket fuel. But hey, when you need a drink, you need a drink.

[@bobblum5973]

"I always wondered where they got the name for SKYY vodka..." No guessing as to how they drained the tanks, nor how long it took. 😉

[@ArmandKarlsen]

9:00 You went full Kerbal, man. Never go full Kerbal.

[@nithinjoseph264]

7:16 "This has the effect of making it resemble a *stick* that has consumed a substantial meal, and is going to spend the next week digesting it!" 🤣🤣 Epic roast!

[@CzechMirco]

"a snake". Scottish accent.

[@BBJBS]

Honestly, I've never been able to look at an image of SLS without gagging.

[@sumreensultana1860]

Huh it looks Nice to me

[@Kryptictails]

@@sumreensultana1860 Same

[@johnkoenig326]

Me too, but not because of the aesthetics...

[@carljohan9265]

Orange rocket bad.

[@M3A1GreaseGun]

dude

[@MarkBarrett]

"Whisky Tango Foxtrot". LOL!

[@ricesilew1278]

You should see my KSP builds. Every thing you dislike about those rockets is incorporated into each one of my designs. Even more horrifically, my planes feature these terrible design choices even more...

[@ballom29]

You shoudl see my SSTO, even by ksp standars players wonder how the f it even lift off the ground.

[@Pongant]

To me, the space shuttle itself was the most ridiculous design ever conceived. A bulky, plane-like orbiter riding a giant orange fuel tank into space like a witch on a broomstick.

[@theseductivepotato7459]

I mean, at least they worked really well

[@CrimsonTemplar2]

For the first shuttle flight they painted the external tank white. They stopped doing that to save weight.

[@LolTollhurst]

They killed more crew than any other space vehicle... I mean, it's a kind of high score?

[@theseductivepotato7459]

@@LolTollhurst It's only because it holds the highest number of people in a crew, capsules only hold 3 people while the space shuttle can have a crew of 7 people

[@environmentNow]

@@theseductivepotato7459 if you mean, almost evey launch had or made problems such as dropping foam into the wing, engines not working, thermal protection tiles falling, SRB's heating a Hydrogen tank, no escape tower (that would have saved the challenger). And so on and on.....

[@Mrcometo]

I miss the Black Arrow, "The lipstick rocket".

[@owensmith7530]

With no visible rocket exhaust, it looks like a self levitating giant lipstick. So cool.

[@prasakmanitou4925]

The Best looking rocket ever :)

[@vicroc4]

Black Arrow wasn't so bad though. Mostly just the paint scheme was awful.

[@cbennet1]

Thanks Scott for helping expel the excess coffee in my mouth - “it lost the will to live”.

[@PowerInverter110]

The dead pixels on your camera freaked me right out. I though my monitor was dying!

[@radiohirsch]

First mistake of Scott Manley on youtube: Claiming the Proton as ugly...

[@adamswenson1093]

Right? I think it's gorgeous! It's that rough industrial look

[@Barracuda622]

Yeah I can't really get behind that one. It looks absolutely beautiful especially at liftoff with those mach-diamonds

[@gilbertof2851]

agreed!

[@TheIcyhydra]

i think the earlier version of the proton head look weird as if it's missing plating....tho i guess the tip should be more thermally insulated so i guess it could warranted to look different.

[@andrewbailey7999]

Yup, I've always found proton launches some of the prettiest out there! I actually find the original R-7 design much uglier due to how squat it was. The Soyuz at least makes up for that though nowadays by having tall slender upper stages

[@LiLi-or2gm]

The American Thor rocket that had the nearly flat nose cone always looked stupid to me.

[@bonbin6053]

True

[@gonun69]

It's too round at the top! It need to be pointy. Round is not scary! Pointy is scary. This will put a smile on the faces of the enemy. They will think it's a huge robot dildo flying towards them.

[@Easy-Eight]

Thor was designed as an IRBM. It was designed to be somewhat transportable. That flat nose cone had an aero-spike and there was usually a nice nuclear bomb inside of it. Over the decades Thor was evolved into the quite friendly Delta rocket.

[@tangydiesel1886]

@@gonun69 the dictator?

[@nitehawk86]

Most of the Thor variants were pretty ugly. Thor-Able is probably the worst of the bunch. Though it was eventually developed into the Delta II, which was a great looking rocket. (I think its last launch was in 2018, which no more to be launched.)

[@henrychan720]

Is nobody going to talk about starliner sitting on top of Atlas V?

[@Björn_Schnabel]

Same.

[@nicolas-he2oe]

Shlong with long balls

[@lawrencejones1517]

I'm sorry dude, but you called some of the coolest rockets ugly! The thing I like most about your channel is that you usually find some very obscure facts or tech that I'd never heard of, and in this episode you shine a light on possibly THE coolest heavy lift launch vehicle I've ever seen in the Jupiter series SDLV! EPIC!

[@myronmarcotte7072]

In the late 1980's I was in Tripoli high power rocketry, A buddy of mine built a all square rocket, he named it bizarro it flew like a champ.

[@MrAzazel666]

How dare you slander the Proton! That thing is a sexy beast.

[@VaxzaLimeIsCool]

RIGHT

[@daszieher]

Proton has redefined aesthetics

[@Yaivenov]

Equivalent to the Saturn-1b: take the tankage you already have and make something bigger.

[@thecashier930]

Unpopular opinion: The Space Shuttle. I know it's historic and important and it achieved a lot. But honestly: Off-center rockets look bad. Rockets that have to permanently waste thrust to not tip over, look bad. Doesn't mater, whether it's an Atlas 5 with only one srb, or the Space Shuttle. I'll go even further. SLS is what the Space Shuttle should have looked like.

[@ber936]

The Cashier don’t look up what the “Advanced Launch System (ALS)” Proposal was

[@absalomdraconis]

A Galaxy cargo plane with a Dreanchaser sticking out the front is what the Shuttle should have looked like.

[@thecashier930]

@@ber936 You were right. I should have not looked it up. I was only aware of the in-line shuttle derieved designes. That looks horrible.

[@RedRocket4000]

Never liked the Shuttle's look. And once they found out it cost too much to refit to make recycling a good idea they should have gone to something else then.

[@johngalt5205]

Not only is it ugly, but it was so poorly designed it lead to the deaths of 14 astronauts. I am very disappointed that Scott didn't include this monstrosity. Design by committee at it's worst.

[@vovacat1797]

Anyone who says helicopters fly because they are ugly has never seen an autogyro. Helicopters got nothing on that.

[@zopEnglandzip]

No, the rotorsport cavalon is the most beautiful aircraft since the fairy rotordyne.

[@gromblereal]

this look like something you would make on ksp at 3am either drunk or high as hell

[@glennedwards1449]

Scott just a thank you you make complex subjects interesting and entertaining. You have a comprehensive grasp of the subject but never let it become of look how clever I am. Keep it up.

[@gonufc]

We've lost Scott forever...He's fully committed now to the dark side of "Math" instead of "Maths".....

[@UnclePie-]

Resistance is futile... But it's still a cob ;)

[@Shadow_The_Pad]

Is that how it is In England?

[@thelegend-e7919]

@@Shadow_The_Pad I live in Ireland, for us it's like saying Physic instead of Physics. Or mathematic. Just wrong. To be fair though, Scott's lived in the US for quite a while, he's put up a good fight.

[@PotentiallyAndy]

I heard he walks on sidewalks too and eats biscuits for breakfast. Love you anyway Mr Manley :)

[@3dprintinglife]

Oh no. My English self is wanting to cry. Not really but yes.

[@DenisJurin]

Common Proton looks totally great! Especially engine bay.

[@Bradley_UA]

Especially when it's not upside down.

[@delphipascal]

I’ve always thought the proton was one of the best looking rockets

[@maaberr25]

Thank you Scott for making another great video. I'd have a suggestion for next one. Can you make detailed video about Soyuz launches and rendezvous with ISS and how come they manage to do it in 6 hrs and in their last flight (Oct 14, 2020) in just 3 hrs compared to the original which took 2 days. Thanks and I can't wait to see more fantastic videos 😀

[@veramae4098]

Finding I have to quit half way through any of videos, take a couple days off, then come back and watch it from the beginning all the way through. And I love this channel. I feel as if Robert Heinlein would approve.

[@brycechristensen2296]

Thor-Able rocket looks like my electric toothbrush.

[@NoahB-gj5fg]

I am studying aerospace engineering right now! Thanks for the class lol. Between this and SpaceX’s How not to land an orbital class booster video I’m practically set

[@haugstule]

to give a little credit to Dr. Robert H. Goddard, he was trying to solve a gimbal issue.

[@cocoabutt1711]

Why doesn't Goddard have a character in KSP?

[@kimik-sb1bc]

I dunno, Ariane 4 looks pretty cool to me. It has a certain industrial sci-fi vibe to it, with the slightly more crude, less sleek and different colored parts, and the mismatched SRB pairs (the pairs themselves still being symmetrical). It's also quite long and pointy and that looks nice.

[@pierssharpe7123]

It must be the thousands of hours I've spent in KSP but quite a few of these look pretty good to me. The OTRAG reminded me of my BOB series (Big Orange Box).

[@alexandermccomb6444]

It's nice to know that the guy that invented rocket science, got it so wrong and backwards to start. There is still hope for my toilet pants idea!

[@williamswenson5315]

Oh, so sorry. That idea was already patented for free-flying house parakeets.

[@williamswenson5315]

@Pronto Or, how does 1L of fluid consumed, equal 1.5L on elimination?

[@andrewanderson4034]

Is it wrong to say the entire space shuttle stack is quite awkward looking? Not to say I don't love it, but it is a couple of rockets, with another rocket plane stuck to its side and a gigantic drop tank sticking out up front. Especially after the boosters are jettisoned.

[@ivarwind]

I was also rather surprised not to see it included.

[@vicroc4]

Nostalgia blinders, I guess. The Shuttle had all the aesthetic problems of Navajo with the added fugliness of those bigass SRBs strapped to the side.

[@matthewgoodwin8093]

One damn heavy payload shroud.

[@ronschlorff7089]

Yes, and believe it or not it flies well as a big model rocket, and lifts off slowly and realistically cuz of all the massive wind resistance. Mine had a couple of clear plastic fins attached to the SRB's, angled out, from the External Tank side, but other wise "stock" in appearance. It was awesome, but I only flew it once then retired it. (It was the Atlantis) Mine did not detach and glide back the orbiter but I've seen that done too! :D

[@vicroc4]

@@ronschlorff7089 IIRC Estes had a kit for a boost-glider version that worked remarkably well. Ungainly as it was.

[@dominicokelly9160]

For me the British 'Black Arrow' takes the cake. Someone clearly looked in their wife's handbag for design inspiration!

[@kwerk2011]

Or at their over-excited dog.

[@dominicokelly9160]

@Pronto And the prize for shit internet comment goes to this guy

[@WillyoDee]

Alternative title: Scott Manly gives 8 different similes for rockets, when "chode" would have sufficed.

[@Kualinar]

I like your «check your staging» t-shirt. And, combining that with this episode, here's my take : In KSP, I made an asparagus type rocket that mixed solid boosters and liquid fuel. The 4 solid boosters where attached to the second and third pair of liquid fuel boosters. The staging was SUPPOSED to be : Liquid fuel pair #1, the 4 solid boosters, pair #2, pair #3, second stage. Instead, I got : Pairs #2 and 3, second stage, solid boosters, pain #1 ! Launch. Pair #1 burn out. Stage. Pairs #2 and 3 at full power and still attached to burning solid boosters, separate and collide with the main body. Unplanned rapid disassembly and massive explosion.

[@2ToneWalt]

The Atlas Able looks like a giant electric toothbrush.

[@Ebruce1361]

I always thought of it as a metal cotton swab that is most assuredly not fluffy.

[@NicholasRehm]

Nobody's gonna talk about blue origin?

[@williamswenson5315]

Is this a rocket or a flight program for a pogo stick?

[@tma2001]

Whats been stopping them from flying passengers on that thing ? It's not like the owner is short of a few bob. Meanwhile SpaceX have flown astronauts to and from the ISS. At this rate Elon will be offering tickets for flying silo joyrides ...

[@williamswenson5315]

@Pronto Well, it IS Jeff Bezos' project, so I'm not going to say it's impossible. After all, the man can afford just about any practical joke he'd care to play.

[@williamswenson5315]

@@tma2001 Mr. Bezos is quickly becoming the master of the anticlimax, I think. Nice 2001 reference by the way.

[@tma2001]

@@williamswenson5315 appropriate choice of words there my friend given its, ahem .. shape.

[@gonun69]

If you call the Proton ugly, you can't let the Saturn 1 off the hook for that first stage. The Soviets at least had a good logistic reason, the Americans just didn't want to develop a bigger tank.

[@Tuning3434]

+Gonun Actually, I kinda like the Saturn 1 and especially the Saturn 1B. But I myself find the Proton actually pretty cool, although the bigger designs are indeed just weird. In that regard I consider Angara (A5 and up) and Delta III way uglier.

[@gonun69]

@@Tuning3434 I like the look of both Proton and Saturn 1 too. I just think it's unfair to criticize the aesthetics of the Proton without also talking about the Saturn 1.

[@williamswenson5315]

A brief defense of the aesthetics of the Saturn 1B...tail fins.

[@jcf20010]

The Saturn 1 is one of the best looking rockets ever. It's my favorite.

[@williamswenson5315]

@@jcf20010 Well, hurrah! Even lying prone in the missile garden at KSC, it looks natty in its black and white color scheme with tail fins accessories.

[@thephoenixscotland]

Hey, one man's ugly is another man's pride. The word pride can be interchanged with just about anything. Wife, Car, Kids etc

[@DanielRichards644]

But he didn't mention the New Shepard Rocket by Blue Origin.

[@Gapsx1eGewehr]

7:04 The Ares is quite an interesting rocket to me, I saw its launch way back when I was just getting into rocketry, and to me, it was the coolest looking launch vehicle to ever exist. It's still pretty darn awesome to me even to this day, though my taste in rocket aesthetics has drawn me toward the old Atlas missiles and other rockets of its era.