How to Think Like NASA

On July 16th, 1969 three astronauts launched into space with one goal.

Set foot on the moon. 

76 hours later they made history.

Imagine walking the halls of the Kennedy Space Center and the Manned Spacecraft Center and hearing the teams talk through how they planned to get these 3 people to space…and back. 

You’d hear them talk through specific ways of thinking about the mission, like:

• Systems Thinking

• Redundancy and Fail-Safe Thinking 

• Choosing Simplicity over Complexity

If these thinking strategies can help us land on the moon…

I’m pretty sure they can also help you think better about how you run your business.

Here’s how to think more like NASA:

#1: Systems Thinking

• NASA engineers approached the moon landing as a complex system of interconnected parts.

• They broke down the mission into smaller, manageable subsystems (e.g., propulsion, life support, navigation).

• This allowed teams to work on specific problems while understanding how their work fit into the larger mission.

Think of it like a watch.

Each gear matters.

But it's how they work together that tells time.

NASA saw the moon mission the same way.

#2: Redundancy and Fail-Safe Design

• Engineers adopted a "better safe than sorry" approach, building redundancy into critical systems.

• This thinking led to the development of backup systems and alternative procedures for various scenarios.

Think of it as the art of “intelligent paranoia.”

It's like packing an extra pair of house keys…

Not because you expect to lose the first set.

But because you understand that life is unpredictable.

Throw the Hail Mary…

But create systems that support the potential outcomes so no matter what happens you’re set up for success.

#3: Simplicity in Design

• When possible, engineers favored simple, reliable solutions over complex ones.

• This principle was famously applied in the design of the lunar module's manual controls.

My mom used to remind me of this when I was a kid,

“Keep It Simple, Stupid.”

(Not in a mean way - as a reminder that overcomplicating things can be the ‘dumber’ path)

NASA's moon lander only had manual controls.

No fancy computers.

Because simple = reliable.

And in space, reliable = alive.

The moon landing wasn't one big leap. It was a thousand small steps. And that’s all every big pursuit has ever been. 1,000 small steps all strategically thought through to create a successful mission.

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