Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
06:20 - How Nozzles Work
16:00 - How Aerospikes Work
19:55 - The Problems With Aerospikes
32:50 - Comparing Aerospike Engines To Bell Engines
41:30 - What The Experts Say
51:35 - Future Aerospike Prospects
54:00 - Summary

Article version for easy reading and references - http://everydayastronaut.com/aerospikes

Today we’re going to look at the history of aerospike engines, go over how nozzles work including things like overexpansion, underexpansion and even expansion ratios, we’ll look at the pros and cons of the aerospike, the physical limitations and problems, then we’ll compare the aerospike to some other traditional rocket engines.

But that’s not all, I obtained never seen before photos and videos of some aerospikes, we’ll get opinions from some people who have actually worked with aerospike engines, look at some promising prospects and compelling concepts and by the end of the video we’ll hopefully know whether or not the holy grail of rocket engines is just waiting to be utilized or if aerospikes just simply aren’t worth it.

Special thanks to @MartianDays on Twitter for the scale engine renders! -   / martiandays  

And also thanks to Charlie Garcia for helping me learn so much! -    / dragonrider66511  

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