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A friend of mine was one of the metallurgists who worked on raptor. It wasn’t like that... They went through dozens or hundreds of incremental improvements over
by mdorazio 7y ago
A friend of mine was one of the metallurgists who worked on raptor. It wasn’t like that... They went through dozens or hundreds of incremental improvements over years with lots of time in the lab looking for micro fractures and other issues after every revision. In typical SpaceX style, the team was working 70+ hour weeks in burnout mode and my friend promptly quit after the alloy was “done”. She seems much happier now.
- chasd00 7y agothank you for that, the only info. i have is from articles and PR. I love seeing what SpaceX does, and maybe they couldn't do these things otherwise, but stories like yours mean i would likely pass on an opportunity to join the company. It's not for me.
- mdorazio 7y agoFWIW, a lot of people join SpaceX (and Tesla) for 2-3 years to work on cool stuff, get the experience, vest some options, then move to other aerospace companies with much better work-life balance. It attracts a lot of smart people fresh out of school and people who are passionate about spaceflight, it's just not a place to work if you value time outside of work or a low-stress job.