The Falcon 9 bas become Spacex's Workhorse. The rocket looks -- let's face it -- like a giant white phallus. It stands 224.4 feet tall, is 12 feet across, and weighs 1.1 million pounds. The rocket is powered by nine engines arranged in an "octaweb" pattern at its base with one engine in the center and eight others encircling it. The engines connect to the first stage, or the main body of the rocket, which bears the blue SpaceX insignia and an American flag. The shorter second stage of the rocket sits on top of the first and is the one that actually ends up doing things in space. It can be outfitted with a rounded container for carrying satellites or a capsule capable of transporting humans. By design, there's nothing particularly flashy about the Falcon 9's outward appearance. It's the spaceship equivalent of an Apple laptop or a Braun kettle -- an elegant, purposeful machine stripped of frivolity and waste.

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