Goal Setting Lessons From The Apollo Project
Inspiration for your Vision from Humanity's Greatest Achievement
Jul 2, 2009
The Apollo Project remains an iconic benchmark in human achievement, but many today fail to fully appreciate just how unlikely the moon landing was for NASA.
The lessons learned during Apollo, far from being merely technical, have relevance to anyone on the path of personal development. If you have a major vision or goal that you would like to make manifest in your life, but that you’ve never done or achieved before, here are some metaphors from that epic project that will inspire you forward.
Create A Vision of What You Want
John F. Kennedy saw an American walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Fear of a Soviet victory in this race spurred the competitive juices among the American leadership, this is true, but it was Kennedy’s single goal – simple, galvanizing, easily-shared– that kept every person at every level of the project moving forward.
Regardless of whether their task was running the Mission Control room or sweeping the floor, everyone in the employ of NASA or its partner companies shared the same vision, adding their powers of manifestation together. When many people share the same vision and feel the same excitement, the end result manifests very quickly.
Put Your Vision On Paper
Most of the moon landing took place on paper. Between Kennedy’s goal in 1961 and the first Apollo flight in 1967, six years passed during which all of the infrastructure, scientific research, and human capital assembled themselves.
In the beginning of a great project, one spends most of his or her time planning. The actual achievement consists of a small percentage of the time, money, and effort that goes into it.
Split the Path Into Milestones
Simply having the vision wasn’t enough, however: Apollo planners had to work backwards from the end result. "What does it take to bring a man to the moon?" "What will he need to do so?" "How do we get it to him?"
Working backwards, they divided the mission into several steps, each one providing valuable lessons to help the next progression. These steps included such elements as the docking of two manned spacecraft, the development of the lunar module that would actually land on the surface, and a manned orbit of the moon (achieved by Apollo 8 in 1968). All would have to work in concert to make the end result possible, but not before NASA could execute them one step at a time.
Do Things You’ve Never Done Before
Many of the industries, technologies, even paradigms that were necessary for NASA to land a man on the moon didn’t exist in 1961. As such, innovation was essential on the part of NASA planners and their corporate partners, and many of the ideas that found themselves in the final results came from individuals who were outside the organization.
Literally, “outside the box” thinking, and courage to test out the new ideas on the part of the planners, was absolutely critical to Apollo’s success.
The Benefits of Apollo Remain Today
Fuel-cell technologies used in the Apollo spacecraft increasingly find themselves in modern automobiles; integrated personal computer systems; even Teflon-coated frying pans exist thanks in no small part to spin-off technologies developed during the Apollo Project.
While these spin-off technologies were not the main purpose or justification behind the moon landings, they prove that the benefits of embarking on a great project, whether big or small, remain long after the completion of the endeavor itself. That in itself, along with the satisfaction of achievement, should give pause to anyone considering a great adventure.
(Source: A Man On The Moon, by Andrew Chaikin)
