On July 16th, 1969 the world watched in great wonder as the massive, dragon-fire-spitting Saturn V rocket lifted off launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center and soared toward the skies on a mission for all mankind — Apollo 11. Aboard the tiny and cramped Columbia command module were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, headed for the moon. Of course, we know the rest of this grand and magnificent history and we still marvel at the extraordinary feat that was finally achieved on July 21st when both Armstrong and Aldrin embossed human footprints in the lunar dust. That astounding achievement may have happened over a half-century ago but its imprint on culture, on scientific exploration, on human understanding, on America and indeed, on the world, is still strong and deep. A few additional perspectives on the legacy of Apollo are worth considering.
On a very broad and basic level, when I think of Apollo 11, I’m reminded of what Americans are capable of, particularly when we’re unified and focused on important shared goals. Americans make up a nation of great vision with citizens who are often willing to take a few calculated gambles in order to see that vision become reality. Despite periodic episodes where we hesitate to commit to grand endeavors, we excel whhen we are compelled to act, often demonstrating a capacity for greatness in a way that other nations and societies have a hard time matching. Apollo 11 — and indeed the entire early space program including projects Mercury and Gemini prior to Apollo — exemplify both the American spirit for boldness and the magic that can occur when our forces of industry, innovation and free thought are synched together for a noble purpose. The goal was ambitious and the timeline was tight, but the drive to demonstrate to the world that we could put a human on the moon allowed America to perform at her best.
At the same time, the Apollo program — culminating in that giant leap for mankind — served as an important reminder of the absolute imperative for both robust teamwork and strong and decisive leadership. While Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins were the men in the capsule, that mission had thousands and thousands of people working diligently across fields and industries to build and execute the program. In fact, according to NASA, “at its peak, the Apollo program employed 400,000 Americans and required the support of over 20,000 industrial firms and universities.” It was a herculean undertaking with incalculable moving parts, worth tens of billions of dollars, and stretched out over nearly a decade of design, experimentation, research, testing and stage exploration. It took tough and credible leaders to keep things moving on time and on task, to achieve the necessary milestones, to deal with the challenges, to overcome the missteps and to turn vision into reality. Those early years of the space program demonstrated what accomplishments are possible when dedicated teams, led by inspiring, focused and experienced people all work together with a resolute unity of purpose.
And finally, Apollo 11 is a wonderful reminder of what can be accomplished when you remain patient, maintain a long view and keep pushing past hurdles toward a desired objective. There are a lot of real lessons that can be applied here — from business, to national policy formulation, to perhaps even simple personal life goals.
The call to put a man on the moon in 1962 was realized within the decade — it was a remarkable accomplishment. But it also occurred against the backdrop of great upheaval in America when competing domestic and foreign policy challenges could have easily distracted or derailed the entire effort. Amidst the race to the moon, America was reeling from the assassinations of a sitting President, a presidential candidate, and an inspiring civil rights leader — all while enduring great social and political turmoil, contending with rapidly changing cultural values and attitudes and suffering the wrenching divisive war in Vietnam.
Despite the political and cultural churn, national leaders — from across parties and through multiple administrations — kept their eye on the ball, remained firm and stayed the course towards success. Part of this was due to the overarching imperative to best the Soviet Union and a keen understanding of what the contest meant from a national prestige and larger Cold War perspective. In the end, Apollo 11 ended up being a great unifying moment for the nation, not only helping to heal some of our national wounds at the time, but standing as an example of what can be done to bring people together as human beings — regardless of our differences.
Looking back on America’s early space program, and remembering the great strides that so many people made in the name of scientific accomplishment in the mid-20th century, we can take heart that what was accomplished then can be applied to many challenges and needs now. We have a strong set of examples for inspiration and a readily accessible model of how to do things right. And while we can, we should seek to keep learning from that first generation of great American space pioneers — from the leaders, designers, engineers and visionaries, to those behind a console at mission control, to the men at the tip of the Saturn V, venturing into dangerous and uncharted territory. This is part of what we should aim to remember in recognizing the 55th anniversary of Apollo 11.
Grant Anderson is the President and CEO of Paragon Space Development Corporation. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from Stanford University.
