--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Russians did much bigger space launch…" description: "\"The Russians did much bigger space launch vehicles for launching satellites and for getting men in orbit. They did that much sooner than America becaus..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/burt-rutan-12448_america_the-russians-did-much-bigger-space-launc_1581606.jpg" --- # The Russians did much bigger space launch vehicles for… ![“The Russians did much bigger space launch vehicles for launching satellites and for getting men in orbit. They did that much sooner than America because America was very good at something else.” quote by Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/burt-rutan-12448_america_the-russians-did-much-bigger-space-launc_1581606.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/burt-rutan-12448_america_the-russians-did-much-bigger-space-launc_1581606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/burt-rutan-12448_america_the-russians-did-much-bigger-space-launc_1581606.jpg) > “The Russians did much bigger space launch vehicles for launching satellites and for getting men in orbit. They did that much sooner than America because America was very good at something else.” [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The USSR prioritized large rockets early, while the US excelled elsewhere. **In simple terms:** USSR led in big rockets; US excelled in other areas. Key Takeaway Recognize differing national strengths. Themes technology competition space race innovation Mood analytical historical Type educational informative When to use this quote - space program planning - technology policy - historical analysis Key Concepts strategic focus resource allocation Questions to Reflect On - How do national priorities shape technological paths? - What can modern programs learn from past focus choices? A Different Perspective Comparisons may oversimplify complex histories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Bigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/) [Launch Vehicles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/launch-vehicles-5976578/) [Launching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/launching/) [Launching Satellites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/launching-satellites-5976577/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Orbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orbit/) [Russians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russians/) [Russians Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russians-did-1216498/) [Satellites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satellites/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Launch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-launch-1226388/) [Vehicle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vehicle/) [Very good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-good/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things that I'm very excited about with New Shepard, which is our suborbital tourism vehicle, is using that to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/one-of-the-things-that-i-m-very-excited-about-with-new-shepard-which/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [Full disclosure: the Russians did not tell Hillary Clinton, 'Don't go to Wisconsin.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-schultz/full-disclosure-the-russians-did-not-tell-hillary-clinton-don-t-go-to/) [Ed Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-schultz/) > [Those Russians. They did worse things when they entered Pomerania than we ever did in Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-funk/those-russians-they-did-worse-things-when-they-entered-pomerania-than/) [Walther Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walther-funk/) > [You thought the war in Afghanistan was OK. You know, I mean, you thought that was something worth doing. We didn't check with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/you-thought-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-ok-you-know-i-mean-you-thought/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [We know the Russians did everything they could to be involved in our campaign. We know that what they're doing around the world right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manchin/we-know-the-russians-did-everything-they-could-to-be-involved-in-our/) [Joe Manchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manchin/) > [What the Russians did in the election in 2016 was clearly short of war, yet it was a pretty aggressive act to go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-sanger/what-the-russians-did-in-the-election-in-2016-was-clearly-short-of/) [David E. Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) > [“But those were Frenchmen and you can work out military problems clearly when you are fighting in somebody else's country." "Yes," I replied, "when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/but-those-were-frenchmen-and-you-can-work-out-military-problems/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I don't think anybody can with a straight face say that the Russians did not set out to influence our election, and they did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-don-t-think-anybody-can-with-a-straight-face-say-that-the-russians/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Even the best documentaries reach tens of thousands in their cinematic window. I believe that by launching online, we could potentially reach millions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/even-the-best-documentaries-reach-tens-of-thousands-in-their/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [The mistake that makes launching a venture expensive is when you try to make a disruptive technology so good that it can compete on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/the-mistake-that-makes-launching-a-venture-expensive-is-when-you-try/) [Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/) > [I like to think that location, travel, etc, is a launching point for purely imagining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-condon/i-like-to-think-that-location-travel-etc-is-a-launching-point-for/) [Zach Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-condon/) > [The many refugees are not a Greek or German problem. They are a European problem. We should therefore develop a common strategy. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-many-refugees-are-not-a-greek-or-german-problem-they-are-a/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [Our entire universe emerged from a point smaller than a single atom. Space itself exploded in a cosmic fire, launching the expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/our-entire-universe-emerged-from-a-point-smaller-than-a-single-atom/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I'd like to see a more aggressive attitude on the part of the United States. That doesn't mean launching an immediate preventive war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/i-d-like-to-see-a-more-aggressive-attitude-on-the-part-of-the-united/) [Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/) > [I was haunted always by my other life-my drab room in the Bronx, my square foot of the subway, my fixation upon the day's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-haunted-always-by-my-other-life-my-drab-room-in-the-bronx-my/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Burt Rutan > [I like to call the difference between research and development. Some people use that interchangeably. They'll say R&D. They're two totally different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-like-to-call-the-difference-between-research-and-development-some/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [America was good enough to make a small compact lighter weight nuclear weapon. The Russians still had these big clunky heavy ones, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/america-was-good-enough-to-make-a-small-compact-lighter-weight/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [A true creator researches how to have confidence in nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/a-true-creator-researches-how-to-have-confidence-in-nonsense/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [I spent about seven years during the Vietnam War flight-testing airplanes for the Air Force. And then I went in and I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-spent-about-seven-years-during-the-vietnam-war-flight-testing/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Flight out of the atmosphere is a simple thing to do and should have been available to the public twenty years ago. Ten years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/flight-out-of-the-atmosphere-is-a-simple-thing-to-do-and-should-have/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [We didn't know the importance of home computers before the Internet. We had them mostly for fun, then the Internet came along and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/we-didn-t-know-the-importance-of-home-computers-before-the-internet/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Virgin Galactic, which will be operating SpaceShipTwo, will be only one of several spacelines. The competitors for Virgin include the Russians, Bezos's Blue Origin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/virgin-galactic-which-will-be-operating-spaceshiptwo-will-be-only-one/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Within 25 years, virtual reality meetings will be essentially transparent to being there in person. Once we can do this, the idea of climbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/within-25-years-virtual-reality-meetings-will-be-essentially/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Everything looks nonsensical before it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/everything-looks-nonsensical-before-it-works/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [A NASA-funded study estimates that if the price of a ticket to space approached $100,000, close to a million people would buy one. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/a-nasa-funded-study-estimates-that-if-the-price-of-a-ticket-to-space/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Achieving something that has never existed in manned spaceflight and that is high volume and public access.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/achieving-something-that-has-never-existed-in-manned-spaceflight-and/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [There will be a new industry, and we are just now in the beginning. I will predict that in twelve or fifteen years there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/there-will-be-a-new-industry-and-we-are-just-now-in-the-beginning-i/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Our goal is to show that you can develop a robust, safe manned space program and do it at an extremely low cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/our-goal-is-to-show-that-you-can-develop-a-robust-safe-manned-space/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Usually the wacky people have the breakthroughs. The 'smart' people don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/usually-the-wacky-people-have-the-breakthroughs-the-smart-people-don-t/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [In the coming era of manned space exploration by the private sector, market forces will spur development and yield new, low-cost space technologies. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/in-the-coming-era-of-manned-space-exploration-by-the-private-sector/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Explore all 55 Burt Rutan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Russians did much bigger space launch vehicles for launching satellites and for getting men in orbit. 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