NASA’s booster rockets are a specific width, narrower than engineers had originally planned.  Why the decrease?  To fit on railroad tracks from factory to launch pad.  And why are railroad tracks the standard width they are?  They’re based on English designs, which made sense ’cause America could piggyback on materials, tools and technology.  Except why are English tracks they width they are?  They’re based (4′ 8.5″) on ruts in roads originally built by Imperial Rome, based on the their own transportation method – – horse and carriage.  Which means today’s standard railroad tracks are still the width of a couple of horse behinds.

And all the more reason to think outside the box…