Timing Matters: Tackling Intractable Problems

I f you were at least five years old on 20 July 1969, then you know exactly where you were when Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. With that act, America won the space race. Safely going to and returning from the moon was a long-term goal that required solving a myriad of related technical problems. It took concerted resolve to overcome this heretofore intractable scientific problem of huge proportion, exemplifying James A. Michener’s astute observation: “There are no insoluble problems, only time-consuming ones.” Taken collectively, Armstrong’s trip to the moon is a case study of applying the right solutions to the right problems at the right time.