{"id":83636,"date":"2022-07-21T06:41:30","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T11:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=83636"},"modified":"2022-07-21T06:41:30","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T11:41:30","slug":"83636","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=83636","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Apollo 11 \u2013 The Bigger Takeaways from Greatness 53 Years Ago<\/a><\/p>\n

Fifty-three years ago this week, America launched Apollo 11, a mission that reached a pinnacle of scientific and national achievement with the successful landing of the Lunar Module Eagle on the Moon. \u00a0The Apollo 11 Moon landing represented not only a crowning triumph for humanity, but it was one of America\u2019s most noble and awesome moments. \u00a0It was an accomplishment so monumental that to try and describe it in words almost undersells its importance. \u00a0It truly was \u2013 and still remains \u2013 one of the most awe-inspiring milestones in human history.<\/p>\n

Think about all of this for a moment. \u00a0Over a half-century ago \u2013 without a sliver of the computing power we have now and with only a fraction of the advanced modeling and simulation technology at hand today \u2013 we put human beings on the lunar surface. \u00a0It was a technological feat of unprecedented proportions. \u00a0There were no supercomputers, how-to videos on YouTube, or ready answers on Google. \u00a0We did it with hypotheses and testing, analog technology, manual chronographs, slide rules, and chalkboard math.<\/p>\n

And there was no playbook to study \u2013 it was true technology trailblazing, in lockstep with America\u2019s traditional frontier spirit. \u00a0In fact, given that America\u2019s formal space program existed in earnest for less than two decades prior to the landing, putting humans on the Moon was a ground-breaking endeavor almost every step of the way. \u00a0But we navigated uncertainty and the unknown with the right combination of vision, daring, and calculated risk while maintaining a laser focus on the goals. \u00a0When a challenge or hurdle complicated our effort, we didn\u2019t simply complain and quit \u2013 we got creative. \u00a0We innovated, adapted and figured it out. \u00a0We learned from our mistakes and went back to the drawing board (literally) to make adjustments and improve our approach. \u00a0Incidentally, it was this attitude that not only put Americans on the Moon in July of 1969, but also brought the Apollo 13 astronauts back to Earth in 1970.<\/p>\n

<\/i>Beyond the glory of the Moon landing itself, the entire Apollo program \u2013 and Mercury and Gemini programs before it \u2013 stands as a sterling testament to what strong leadership and unity of purpose can achieve. \u00a0The Apollo program consisted of hundreds of thousands of people, each responsible for different but vital aspects of the mission, working together across different sites for weeks, months and years. \u00a0It required unwavering coordination and alignment between the public and private sectors, and involved everyone from appropriators in the Congress to engineers and technicians in the lab. \u00a0It was a herculean undertaking \u2013 but commitment, organization, and active and effective management made it all possible.<\/p>\n

Finally, we maintained adherence to the task and never lost sight of what was important despite the upheaval and turbulence of the times. \u00a0We often forget that the Apollo program endured through the 1960\u2019s \u2013 a period not completely unlike our contemporary era \u2013 which was marked with the assassinations of several national leaders (including a sitting President), a grossly unpopular war, radically changing cultural values, riots, social tension, and violence. \u00a0But we stuck with it through the highs and lows, kept our eyes on the road, and drove on toward the objective.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, this year also will mark the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17 \u2013 which was the last Apollo journey to the Moon (completed in December of 1972). \u00a0Like many of the other missions, it set new records in science, technological and human achievement and was a successful last chapter in the Apollo program. \u00a0In looking back, whether it was the first or last steps that Americans placed in the lunar dust, all of those missions essentially represented a magnificent capstone achievement in what was a serious, decade long effort concentrated on one goal \u2013 outlined by our national leaders and executed by the people. \u00a0As we look toward our next expeditions in space, namely a return to the Moon and beyond, we would be wise to take some of these core lessons from the Apollo program. \u00a0Frankly, there are a lot of things we could learn from Apollo to improve and enhance America\u2019s standing and position aside from space.<\/p>\n

The Apollo program is but one example of American greatness that manifests itself when we\u2019re serious, when we ignore petty distractions and challenge the impossible with hard work and spirit.<\/p>\n

It is something we\u2019ve actually done quite often as a country \u2013 think of the Berlin Airlift, the building of the transcontinental railroad, or American war production in WWII \u2013 and we do it well when we try. \u00a0The Apollo 11 anniversary is a reminder of what America can do when it puts its mind to a noble task. \u00a0It is a reminder of what can be done when we apply national, political and cultural energy on something that actually matters\u2026something of weight, purpose and lasting importance\u2026something that is greater than the sum of all of its parts\u2026something that was, and is, \u201cFor all Mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Apollo 11 \u2013 The Bigger Takeaways from Greatness 53 Years Ago Fifty-three years ago this week, America launched Apollo 11, a mission that reached a pinnacle of scientific and national achievement with the successful landing of the Lunar Module Eagle on the Moon. \u00a0The Apollo 11 Moon landing represented not only a crowning triumph for … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heroism","category-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83637,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83636\/revisions\/83637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}