I'd say yes and no. You most definitely have a point here as I agree that their model, or view, is different than NASA. However, if NASA had not happened, would even conceiving of a different model or target had happened? Not to mention just initial research into rocketry. It maybe could have happened without NASA, but probably with a severely higher initial investment.
I should have included them also. It is very much a "standing on giants." As many scientists and engineers from different countries and nationalities have made major contributions. I believe it was an early soviet scientist in the 20s who came up with the formula for how much fuel needed to be loaded into a rocket.
